The Demon Prince of Konoha
by Megii of Mysteri OusStranger
Summary: There is a legend of a demon that lives in the forest surrounding Konoha. Some people say that the demon is an enemy of the village while others say it protects it. The Sand Trio had never heard of this legend until the Chuunin Exam. NaruTema
1. Prologue

The Demon Prince of Konoha

Summary: _There is a legend of a demon that lives in the forest surrounding Konoha. Some people say that the demon is an enemy of the village while others say it protects it. The Sand Siblings had never heard of this legend until they came for the Chuunin Exams._

_Disclaimer: I do not own or am affiliated with NARUTO in any way, shape, or form. Any similarities Original Characters may have to real people or pre-existing characters is purely coincidental. This is a work of FanFiction and is being written for fun, not for profit._

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**Prologue**

_Konohagakure_, also known the Hidden Leaf Village, is the most powerful and well-respected village known to ninjas. A village that is prosperous and teeming with life, even as children are put to bed and men make their way to the local taverns to drink themselves silly.

The sun was inching its way down to the horizon, setting and dying the sky bright orange. It is forbidden for any of the civilians to go into the forest surrounding the village walls without permission or escort, for it is rumored that a terrible demon lives within those woods. Most children heed the warnings and frightening stories that their parents tell them about the demon and the forest, but, naturally, some are skeptical.

A small boy allowed himself to be fussed over as he was tucked into bed, his dark eyes, not on his mother, but on the darkening sky outside his window. The woman kissed his forehead and moved to turn off the lamp by his bedside.

"Mom?"

She paused, easing back onto the bed. "Yes, sweetheart?"

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, still facing the window. "Is the Demon Prince really real?"

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise before hardening. "What makes you ask that all of a sudden?"

He bit the inside of his cheek and looked back out the window. It wasn't sudden, not really, it had been on his mind for a good few days now, ever since he and his friends had thrown their ball too high and lost it over the village's protective walls. They had attempted to retrieve it, only to be stopped short by the military forces that kept Konohagakure safe: _Shinobi_. Ninja. They had been scolded quite roughly before being sent back to their school.

He shrugged as nonchalantly as a child could. "No reason, I guess."

His mother's stature visibly softened. "Well," she began, shifting her position so that her body was parallel to her son's, "Some people will tell you otherwise, but yes, the Demon Prince is real. There is some controversy about the Prince's intent, a few people think he protects the village, but in truth it is a vile, powerful demon that takes the form of a boy. That's why we civilians are not allowed to leave Konoha without a shinobi escort, were it not for the ninja to protect us, it would gobble us up as soon as we are outside of the gates." She gave her child a piercing stare. "That is why you must never ever try to sneak out."

He rolled his eyes to hide his nervousness. "Like I would ever try to do that!" Indeed, he wouldn't be attempting such a thing again. Ninja were scarier than his mother, and she was a terrifying woman when angered. "What kind of demon is it, Mom?"

She laughed sharply, and it was not a happy sound. "What kind of demon? Silly, a demon is a demon. Really now," she firmly pushed him down onto his pillows. The boy did not dare protest, "Stop thinking about such terrible things and _go to sleep_." She kissed his forehead again, turned off the light, and left him to his dreams.

But he did not attempt to fall asleep, the mysterious Demon Prince of Konohagakure still sharp and bitter on his mind. Bedtime story though it was, he wasn't satisfied with the fairy-tale and pondered upon what the story might have stemmed from. Did not all rumors start out as truths?

_Pompu_!

He bolted upright in his bed at the loud noise, stiff with shock.

_Pompu_!

He jerked his head toward the window, catching a brief flash of red before the color vanished. Throwing the covers off his legs, he crept over to the portal and slid the glass open.

_Pom-_!

The bright red ball he and his friends had lost over the wall the other day bounced up onto the windowsill and right into his surprised arms. He blinked dumbly for several seconds before peering down the side of his house. A blond boy stood on the street, grinning and waving happily at him. Stunned, he hesitantly lifted a hand in return.

"Your ball is really fun! Try not to lose it in my forest again, though, okay?" the strange boy didn't give him a chance to respond and was already dashing away don the street. The boy rubbed at his eyes in astonishment, trying to decide if he had just seen a _tail_ coming out of the other kid's pants or if he was just stuck in a dream and had imagined the whole thing. However, the other boy as gone too quickly for him to gain a second glance, and he looked down instead at the shiny red ball in his hands. A single stem of Foxtail Grass was stuck to the side, almost like a crude calling card.

He smiled timidly, as if he has just discovered some big, amazing secret, dark eyes glittering. His mother was definitely wrong about the Demon Prince. It was with that rebellious thought in mind that he crawled back into bed, clutching the toy tightly against his chest, and fell into the clutches of slumber.

**End Prologue**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The day was humid and cool as several figures walked through the lush forest surrounding Konohagakure. Unlike the Konoha Chuunin leading the way, a tanned man with a scar over his nose, the other four ninja were from Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand. This Suna group consisted of a single genin shinobi team. Their Jounin_-_sensei was an intimidating looking man who wore a drapery of cloth over one-half of his face, covering what could only assumedly be horrific battle-scars.

The second ninja was, like the other two, a genin and was the middle sibling of the three at sixteen years of age. He was clad almost completely in a traditional puppeteer's garb, modified for the needs of a shinobi. An unidentifiable, hairy, bandage-wrapped object hung from his shoulders, and his face was lined with purple kabuki paint.

Behind the puppeteer walked his younger brother, a fifteen year old with blood red hair. His eyes, a pale sea green, seemed blank, but concealed within the insomniatic rings that surrounded them smoldered a sharp edge of insanity and a suppressed lust for blood and death. On the unusually pale boy's forehead stood the symbol for love, red and mocking. The young man's form was almost overtaken by the enormous gourd he carried on his back

The third and oldest sibling was an eighteen-year-old young woman with a fan strapped to the red sash encircling her waist. Unusually, her wheat-gold hair as pulled back into four severe bunches, instead of the traditional two ponytails. She picked idly at her light colored shirt, finding the forest weather a little too cool for her tastes as her brilliant turquoise eyes darted around. Though she didn't say anything, she honestly would have preferred to be going anywhere but Konoha at that particular moment. After so many years striving for peace, they were being ordered to infiltrate Konoha during_ the Chuunin_ Exams with the Sound and attack Konoha, starting another war. She didn't like it one bit.

Silently, she cursed her egotistical maniac of a father, the Kazekage, for every unfortunate happening in her siblings and her lives. It was her father's fault that their mother was dead, it was their father's fault that they were putting their lives on the line to start a war, and most importantly, it was their father's fault that her youngest brother, Gaara, was a bloodthirsty killer with a demon raccoon-dog, the _Shukaku_, sealed inside him.

"Hey, Temari, you okay back there?" Came her first brother's voice, snapping her out of her reverie. She looked over into his painted face.

"What?"

"You were looking kind of pissed off."

"Oh." She waved it off. "It's nothing, I was just thinking."

"You think?" Kankuro asked, feigning shock.

Temari rolled her eyes. He must have been pretty bored to make that remark. "Shut the hell up. I could say the same thing about you." The black-clad genin snickered to himself and went back to being quiet. Temari resisted the urge to frown, she wasn't exactly entertained herself by the scenery, however bafflingly green it was, and silently wished that Kankuro had responded to her playful retort.

Suddenly she paused; her eyes drifted to the shrubbery along the side of the road, and she almost shrieked when she unexpectedly caught sight of a pair of brilliant blue eyes staring at her from within the shadows. They only stared at her for a moment though, before blinking out of existence, and she was left wondering if she had even seen them at all.

"Is there something wrong miss?" The Konoha escort asked.

Temari hadn't even realized that she had stopped in her tracks. "No, sorry." She said, frowning a little. "I just thought I saw something, that's all." She waved it off and they continued walking.

The Chuunin was now looking at her with curious eyes. "If I may ask, what was it that you saw?" He asked.

Temari fought off the urge to raise an eyebrow, wondering why the man suddenly seemed so interested. "I thought I saw a pair of eyes watching us."

The man looked surprised for a moment then broke out in a full grin. "Really? You did? You should consider yourself very lucky, miss, I believe you may have caught a glimpse of Konoha's Demon Prince."

"Demon?"

"Prince?" Kankuro echoed incredulously.

The Chuunin nodded. "Yes. There is a legend within our village of a _Jinchuuriki_ that lives within this very forest." He explained. Temari chanced a glance at her redheaded youngest brother. "As a child, the demon container was shunned and hated by the villagers, but he never knew the reason why. Despite his isolation, they say that the boy always tried to be cheerful and kind to earn the respect of the villagers. Sadly, that never happened, as the boy was the container for not any demon, but the most powerful and hated demon in existence. Eventually, the boy was run out of the village, the people screaming curses and throwing weapons as he ran, sobbing.

"Some people like to believe that the boy died out in the wilderness, but most people say that the demon he hosted took pity on the boy and trained him, soon making the Jinchuuriki into his heir, the Prince of Demons. The boy is said to still live within these forests, but the reason why is unclear. Some say that he is plotting the downfall of Konoha to get revenge for what was done to him during his childhood, but there are others that believe that he protects us, still trying to prove that he's not a monster."

"How… interesting." Temari commented.

"The Lord of Demons? That's impossible, it was killed fifteen years ago." Baki grumbled, crossing his arms.

The Chuunin shrugged.

"What do you believe?" Temari asked, intrigued.

"Me? Well, I like to think that he protects the village, but it's hard to see that being true. Wishful thinking, really."

Kankuro was frowning. "Okay, I don't believe a word of this, but lets say that this guy is real. What would he be doing watching us?"

The man looked back at him. "Just observing you, making you aren't a threat to him or anything of that nature. Be careful about the foxes around here, though. There are a lot of them and he doesn't take kindly to anyone who harms them. I'm actually rather surprised it was he you saw and not one of his foxes. Very, very few people have ever caught a glimpse of him."

Kankuro held back the flinch when the Chuunin mentioned threats.

"Is that so? Do you know how many?" Temari asked. Kankuro groaned and rolled his eyes. The blonde ignored him. Her thirst for knowledge, even about things that were useless to her lifestyle, was no big secret.

"How many…" The man repeated, pondering. "As I said, not many. Fewer than you can count on both hands would be my guess, but I cannot say for sure."

"So few." The kunoichi noted, surprised.

He nodded. "The only person alive to have actually had true contact with him is our Hokage. Anyone else is long dead for one reason or another." He gave her a nervous glance. "There... is a rumor that those who look upon him are cursed, and die shortly after viewing his face."

"Is he a fox demon or a basilisk?" Temari said jokingly. Nevertheless, their escort continued to look at her as if he expected her to drop dead any moment.

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Bright blue eyes watched as the newcomers presented their official papers and gained access to the Hidden Leaf Village. Only one team of many, but they were the only group so far that had held a conversation about the living myth that lived in the woods. The legend that the Chuunin escort had relayed was somewhat accurate, but certainly not right on the dot, though that could be accounted for the shortened version of the "fairy tale." Really, he, protect this village? His eyes narrowed in amusement.

That red haired boy was something to ponder, however, and was the reason they had caught his attention in the first place. That bloodlust that surrounded him and his chakra signature was a clear indication that he had to be a host, for the Shukaku if his nationality was anything to go by.

Raising a clawed hand, he beckoned one of his foxes. He sent the kit off with instructions to keep an eye on the foreigners. She yipped in response and dashed toward the village walls. The owner of the blue eyes stared after his comrade. Something big was going to happen soon. He could feel it in his fur.

**End Chapter 1**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Konohagakure appeared, by all means, a wealthy, prosperous, and beautiful village. Unlike Sunagakure, which was almost completely military-based, Konoha had as many civilians as shinobi, if not more. Already Temari was forming a map in her head, her eyes steely and alert.

Their Jounin_-_sensei, Baki, had left them at their temporary apartment to get in touch with the _Otogakure_ spy they were allied with. He had given them strict orders to stay in their rooms, however, Baki knew as well as she did that Gaara wasn't about to heed the older man's orders, so Temari hadn't wasted any time either in escaping and scouting out the village that was to be their home for the next two months. Fan polishing could only keep her entertained for so long, and she thought it was stupid of Baki to keep them holed up in an apartment when they could have been scouting and getting familiar with their surroundings.

Kankuro had attempted fiercely to berate her for leaving, but it was not as if he understood. He was at his most content when working on his puppets and experimenting with poisons, but Temari was of a more restless nature and her love of botany urged her to seek out the unusual plant life that Konohagakure harbored. The sun was unusually light on her shoulders, and any breeze that drifted through her hair was cool and clear, a foreign sensation.

The native shinobi she had come across so far did not seem to be much of a threat in her eyes, and though there was a pair that nearly frightened her out of her skin with shouts of joy and youth, she knew better than to underestimate these forest-dwelling fighters. _Konoha_ was known for having the fewest border guards as well the fewest successful infiltrators. A village did not get a fearsome reputation like that without something solid backing up the rumor.

She was examining the structure of the West Gates when that thought floated to the forefront of her mind, and she paused. The tale that the scarred-Chuunin had told her was pulled out of her memory and she pondered upon the two pieces of information. It was a child's fairytale, something mothers told their troublemaking youngsters to keep them out of danger, but if the Demon Prince of Konoha were a true tale, then it would seamlessly explain Konohagakure's unusual defense system. She thought upon the mythological prince, perhaps once a child not too unlike Gaara, chased into exile. Containing a monster such as the _Kyubi_, much more powerful than Shukaku, the boy would have no doubt caved in to the tailed beast's insane mumbles and given in to the monster. She imagined a twisted fox of flame and charcoal, something like Shukaku's smaller form only more hideous and malicious.

She shuddered at the very idea and rubbed her biceps to ward off the chill in her blood. It did not bode well to think of such a demon.

But, she thought, looking down the dirt road and into the seemingly infinite forest, it was something that needed to be looked into. No one planning the invasion had ever considered an enemy demon coming into the equation.

Gaara himself was a very territorial being, no one crossed the desert without being observed by his never-sleeping eyes, and he housed only the weakest of _Biju_. If the Demon Prince of Konoha truly did exist, how territorial could he prove to be, especially if threatened?

She couldn't leave the theory unexplored, and when the guards had their eyes averted, she darted out of the village and into the foliage.

Colorful birds chirped and flitted between trees both massive and spindly. Insects clicked and scuttled into burrows hidden within tree roots and decaying logs. The forest was lacking any brittle twigs to crack with a footstep; everything was very wet and very, very green. The forest floor was a carpet of moss and rotting foliage; what few twigs that there were simply bent and did not break with any sort of resounding crack that might alert the native ninja.

She glanced up. There was no sky to be seen, the light that filtered down was emerald green and otherworldly to her eyes. What little sound she made seemed muted.

_'Not muted enough_,' she thought, feeling a gaze settle on her. Her hackles rose, and she placed her hand on her fan, taking what she hoped was an obviously defensive position. Her five senses went on high alert and she called out in a firm tone:

"I don't mean anyone any harm."

The stare didn't lessen, if anything, she felt as if even more eyes were locked onto her form.

"_What on earth are you all doing?"_

Panic bloomed within Temari's breast, which she quickly stomped down. The owner of the voice was most likely a Konoha shinobi, and she wasted no time in running off as soon as the hidden eyes diverted their attention. Her blood was pounding in her ears; she could be jeopardizing the entire mission! She felt a fool for not taking the risks of getting caught into consideration when she had the chance. She could not let herself get caught.

The trees came to an abrupt and unexpected stop, and she stumbled into an open field. The sky opened up above Temari's head like a gaping, toothless grin and a sea of white flowers filled the expanse before her. Turquoise eyes widened in awe.

"What… is this?" She murmured to herself.

Dragonflies and butterflies flitted about in the air, sipping nectar, mating, and basking in the sun. The atmosphere was rich with the sweet scent of the flowers, a smell that was almost _too_ sweet. It made her nostrils burn slightly and made her eyes itch. Despite being almost all white, she noticed that the flowers were marred by a variety of colors: black, yellow, violet, cyan, blue, pink, red… there were no dead or sickly flowers anywhere within sight. All was bright and alive.

"_What do you think you're doing here?_"

She whipped around, her movement more precise than that of a ballerina, hand arcing to grasp her battle-fan. At her movement, the owner of the voice also took up a defensive stance; his center of gravity low and hands held close to the torso like wound up springs.

It was a man. Tall and dressed more like nobility than a shinobi. His hair was a finer shade of gold than hers, and lightly covered oddly pointed ears. He would have been handsome, if not for the thin, black lines that marred his high cheekbones. For a moment, she nearly relaxed, but his forget-me-not-blue eyes glistened and she felt herself chocking on her own terror.

_'Demon…!'_

He obviously hadn't verified her as a threat yet, which she was thankful for as already she felt she was in more danger than Gaara could daydream of. Those eyes were unnatural, inhuman, and with this new awareness she took in his clawed fingers, the glimpse of white fang protruding over his lip and the bushels of tail curling about his ankles.

He didn't clear his throat, or make any sound at all, but there was a shift in the atmosphere and Temari realized he was waiting for a response. Her mouth was filling with saliva, but she couldn't swallow. Her palms were only beginning to feel damp though sweat already trickled down the sides of her face. The muscles in her legs were tight, ready to spring away at a moment's notice. She licked her lips slowly.

"Just verifying a theory."

The corner of his mouth crinkled upward. "And did you find what you were looking for?"

Her voice failed her, and she only nodded stiffly.

"Then leave."

Temari didn't hesitate, jumping back into the trees and fleeing as fast as her legs would carry her. More than once, she nearly stumbled over her own feet, adrenaline keeping her heart pounding in her ears. She was paranoid that he was chasing her, but each time she glanced back, the man was nowhere within her sight. Nevertheless, she could feel his eerie blue eyes burning holes into her back, as if he knew that curiosity would eventually bring her back. She could hear his thoughts on the wind, and sped up fearfully.

_'Until next time, vixen.'_

**End Chapter 2**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

True to it's name, Temari found Area 44, The Forest of Death, to be hauntingly creepy. On the other hand, she reflected, she probably wouldn't have been as wary if she weren't on a team with her _Jinchuuriki_ brother. He made it all the more deadly and she was more afraid of him than any man-eating centipede or scorpion hidden in the soil. Only in the deepest recesses of her mind did Temari allow herself to admit she loved her youngest brother

Not five minutes into the second exam and the screams began to echo--voices of a team of genin she couldn't be bothered to remember. Gaara became agitated at the noise, his bloodlust no longer suppressed.

They were in no rush to reach the tower that was their goal. Gaara had been growing more and more aggressive since they left Suna; he'd been anticipating this like a child anticipating a birthday. In the words of her puppet-wielding sibling: _"Better them than us." _Nevertheless, they had every intention of collecting the other scroll and reaching the tower long before nightfall. Spending a night camping with Gaara was something avoided at all costs, even outside the Chuunin Exams.

The Chuunin Exams themselves were ingeniously planned. She hadn't truly known what to expect, only that she and her brothers, her team, had to make it through. Failure was not an option; their father ordered it.

Their first test, a written test, was certainly unexpected, but proved to be a very effective method, though she was loathe to admit she was impressed. Their current test was more predictable- more of a "catch-the-flag" sort of deal. Still, she thought, that didn't mean people were supposed to be idiots about it, and the group of Rain-nin trying to stare them down were certainly doing an impressive job of being idiots.

The leader, an older character with part of his mouth sewn up, seemed to have the biggest ego. "Kids from the Sand challenging us straight on is quite foolish."

Temari resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Forget big, this guy had an ego the size of a blue whale. She could feel the bloodlust rolling off Gaara in waves, though the Rain-nin seemed oblivious. She wondered if the man could back up his big words.

"Hey, kid." The Rain-nin continued, sparing Gaara an arrogant glance. "You should be more careful in picking your opponents. You're all going to die."

Gaara seemed almost amused. "Shut up, old man."

"Hey, Gaara." Kankuro spoke up boldly, looking at his younger sibling. "Shouldn't we follow and gather some information before we fight? If they have the same scroll as us, there's no need to fight."

Temari glanced over at him. She wasn't fond of Gaara's bloodbaths either, but she could tell that he needed to kill or he might come after them. He wasn't allowed to kill any civilians while they were in Konoha and the Chuunin Exams were his only outlet for the time being. Also, in all honesty, there more people that died, the less competition they'd have in the exams.

Kankuro continued. "Unnecessary fights are…"

"It doesn't matter." Gaara interrupted. "I'll kill everyone we encounter." The icy chill in his voice almost made Temari shiver. Yes, he really needed to kill something right now.

The lead _Ame_ ninja scowled. "Then lets do this!" He said, pulling six umbrellas off from his back, three being quickly tossed into the air. "Take this, kid! Rain of Senbon!" The umbrellas began spinning rapidly, creating a deadly shower of. "This strikes from all angles, there is no escape!"

Gaara only looked bored, and he glared at the man as his sand effortlessly blocked the barrage of needles. "Is that _it_?" The enemy gaped, his mouth flapping in disbelief before trying and failing again. "A rain of needles, ne?" Gaara murmured. "Well then, I'll make it rain blood instead."

The _Ame_-nin gave it one more go, charging them mindlessly, and he paid for his lack of tact: he was crushed into oblivion by Gaara's sand within seconds. Temari squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away. The two remaining nin shrieked, crying for their lives, but as always, her youngest brother was deaf to their pleas. The sound of crunching bones and the smatter of hot blood across the ground reached her ears, and it was only when their voices came to an abrupt end that she looked back upon the earth with gem-colored irises.

"It's the scroll of Heaven!" Kankuro declared, grinning. "How convenient!"

"I'm not satisfied." Their redheaded sibling growled

Temari stiffened, swallowing thickly. This was quickly growing dangerous.

Kankuro frowned. "Let's stop, Gaara."

The youngest narrowed his black-rimmed eyes and fixed his elder sibling with a hard glare. "Are you afraid, _coward_?"

Kankuro frowned more deeply and took several steps forward. He was putting his foot down on this one "You might be okay, but it's dangerous for Temari and me! We only need one set of scrolls. We don't need any more."

_'Don't bring me into this!'_ Temari screamed mentally. She struggled to remember when the next full moon was.

Gaara stretched out a hand threateningly. "Slacker. Don't order _me_ around."

Temari's eyes widened when Kankuro went so far as to grab the front of Gaara's clothing. "Cut it out! Why don't you listen to what your older brother says once in a while?!"

"I have never thought of you two as my siblings." Gaara said coldly. "If you get in my way, I'll kill you." Gaara held out his hand again and Temari felt panic rise in her chest.

"Gaara, stop. Don't be so cold. This is your big sister asking you." She pleaded. "Okay?"

Kankuro looked disgusted.

The redhead moved his hand and sand began to gather. He moved to clench his fist. Temari panicked.

"Gaara!" She cried.

Kankuro's eyes were clenched shut, waiting for the deathblow. However, it never came.

"Fine." Gaara said, placing the cork on his gourd. Temari sighed in relief and placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart. Gaara had heeded her words. She followed.

-

Sleep was slow in coming that night. Her body was too tense, mind too wound up, full of questions about _that_ person. She tossed and turned for what felt like ages, and even resorted to meditation in an attempt to calm her raging mind, and still sleep evaded her.

She toyed with the idea of sneaking out, but quickly discarded the idea. It wasn't worth going back through the Forest of Death. That left her wandering the maze of halls that spider webbed through—and underneath—the tower. Underneath was what she currently found herself exploring. Not bothering to move along quietly, the sound of her footsteps was her chosen companion. Doors dotted the hallways, doors upon doors upon doors, and nearly all of them locked. The only one she had found unlocked so far was a janitorial supply closet, which served to be no help at all.

It wasn't just a midnight stroll; Temari was seeking out information. She wondered if it was fated, or just a bizarre stroke of luck that the next door she came across, already oddly open, led to a library of all things.

The room's vast ceiling remained black, despite the number of burning candles piled on the few tables. Sitting at one of these tables was a tiny, very white-haired old man. Temari froze, feeling like a child caught stealing treats. However, instead of demanding to know who she was and what she was doing here, the old man merely adjusted his enormous spectacles at her.

"Hrrm! Another one, eh? Been a while, been a while. Can't find what you're looking for in the new library, can ya? Well then, what can I do you for, sir?"

Temari looked down at her nightclothes and concluded that the old man's eyesight was something awful. A man was something she did _not_ look like. However, scanning over the impossibly high shelves, she decided that she wasn't about to correct the pint-sized elder. Opportunity had presented itself.

"What books do you have on demons, old man?"

"Happenings?"

She felt rather dismayed. The old man was as deaf as he was blind. "Demons!" She persisted.

"No men?" The man gasped suddenly. "Are you telling me Konoha has been wiped out, my good man?!"

The blonde woman rolled her eyes. '_Not now, but, oh yes, it will be soon enough, you old mouse-man.'_ She bowed down to his level and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Books! About! _Demons_!"

Now his skin color matched his hair. "Demons have destroyed the village? Oh that's terrible! _Terrible_! I will find you some books on those nasty critters right away! You'll be wanting to know as much as possible in order to fight back, hrrm, yes?"

He paused in front of a shelf of large scrolls covered in dust as thick as shrimp tempura crust He adjusted his glasses and looked through the scrolls. "Hrrm, now, lets see here… Demons, demons… Ah ha! Here it is!" He reached up, dragging a green scroll out of the pile. It was either very heavy or the old man was just weak since it slipped from his grasp, falling to the floor loudly. Dust billowed up into the air.

"Oh, oh dear!" The man squeaked, holding his robes in front of his face. Temari coughed and placed a hand over her mouth and nose, wondering when was the last time this library was in use.

It took several minutes for the dust to finally settle, leaving the old librarian to apologize and ramble profusely. Temari waved him off with a fake smile. Leaning down to pick up the yellowed tome, she brushed off some of the lingering dust. She set it on the table, sat down, and began to read.

**End Chapter 3**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Despite what Temari had been expecting, the next stage of the Chuunin Exams did not go straight to finals. Too many teams had passed the Forest of Death, so now they were being forced to go through preliminaries.

She found herself wishing that they'd let Gaara wipe out a few more teams.

The first genin to face off were chosen at random, two Konoha shinobi, and the remaining ninja made their way to the observation platforms, leaving the Uchiha boy and some masked guy down in the arena. Temari took her place between her brothers, crossing her arms.

It was an interesting match, but it was one she barely paid attention to. Her thoughts were elsewhere and she knew pretty much all she needed to know about him and all the other Konoha genin, thanks to a spy named Kabuto. _He_ was an ass.

Both genin were dragged away by medics, though the Uchiha was declared the winner. Something strange caused markings to appear on his skin, damaging him. She didn't really care.

The screen in the room flashed through more names again before stopping on Aburame Shino and Zaku from the Sound. Zaku went down quickly, due to injuries he received from earlier in the exams, and because the Aburame guy with the creepy bugs clogged the holes in his hands. The Sound genin's arms were a mess afterwards and he would probably never fight again

Once again the screen scrolled through names. Kankuro smirked and walked down into the arena with an arrogant stride.

The two genin met in the center of the arena.

"Unlike my teammate, I won't go easy on you because you're a kid. Let me warn you, once my move gets a hold of you, it's over. Give up. I'll finish this match quickly."

"Then I'll finish the match quickly, too." Kankuro pulled the bandaged object off his shoulder.

The Leaf-nin glared while Kankuro smirked cockily.

"Hajime!" Hayete declared, swinging his arm down and stepping back.

The Leaf-nin rushed forward. "I won't let you do anything! Victory goes to the swiftest!" He drove his fist forward and attempted to hit Kankuro, but was effortlessly blocked. The Sand-nin's smirk quickly turned into an expression of shock as his opponent's limbs began to lengthen and wrapped around him.

_'Idiot!'_ Temari thought. '_He completely underestimated his opponent!'_

The Leaf-nin proceeded to explain his attack.

"I can take my joints off their hinges and use my _chakra_ to control my loosened body. That's why I can strangle you until your bones break. Unless you give up, I will continue strangling you." He glanced over at the wrapped weapon. "I don't know what kind of tool you use, but there's no point to it if I immobilize your body like this! I can break your neck as well. Hurry and give up."

Kankuro managed to smirk. "Nah, I don't think so."

"Do you want to die?" The ninja asked, tightening his grip.

"Idiot. _You're_ the one who's going to die."

Temari raised an eyebrow. '_So that's your game. Clever, little brother_.'

Growing frustrated, the Konoha ninja's grip tightened and forced Kankuro's neck to break with a sickening crack.

Gaara looked away. "How stupid."

Temari glanced over at her youngest sibling. She wondered what he meant by that.

The Leaf-nin scowled. "Damn it. I got carried away and broke it."

But then something on the ground caught his attention. Pieces of Kankuro's face were breaking away. Kankuro's head lifted up and did a complete 180, showing a cracking, unnatural face.

"Now it's my turn." The puppet growled, grinning cruelly.

Karasu's limbs burst out of the fake body and lashed out, wrapping around the Leaf ninja in a deadly embrace, The arms squeezed, crushing the enemy nin's spine.

"A marionette!" He realized in horror. With that, Kankuro burst out of the wrappings, his hand held out and glowing with chakra. The puppet twitched. "That was the real one? He's a puppeteer…"

Smirking, Kankuro slowly closed his hand, causing Karasu's grip to tighten.

"I-I give…" The Leaf ninja gasped, the air being pushed out of his lungs.

"Too late! Now, let's soften you up." Kankuro chuckled. His hand tightened into a fist and with that the man's spine snapped. He and the puppet collapsed.

The proctor coughed. "The winner is Kankuro."

With a deft movement, Karasu was wrapped in the bandages once again and he headed back up to his team. The Konoha-nin was carried away on a stretcher.

The next match was between two very annoying girls. Fan girls apparently, seeing as their fight was all rooted in their interest in one guy. Temari wondered how the two had survived the second third of the exam. The tournament ended in a double knock out.

Finally, it came to be Temari's turn. She smirked and entered the arena, standing across from a bun-haired girl named Tenten. Up in the stands, a freak dressed in green, presumably the girl's teammate, cheered loudly.

"Do your best Tenten!" The green freak yelled.

"Begin!" The proctor brought his hand down as if cutting an invisible ribbon. Temari allowed herself to smirk as the other girl leapt back quickly.

"Fight, Tenten!"

"Believe in your power, Tenten!"

"Tenten, we're with you! Fight with everything you have!"

"That's it! Show your spirit!"

"Go, go!"

Temari glanced up at the two green-clad ninja. Their yelling was extremely annoying. She looked back at her opponent. The girl was average at best: average looking and average clothing. Nothing about her stood out except for the buns on her head. Her hands, however, were rather calloused for an average kunoichi. She was probably a weapons specialist from her posture and muscular structure.

"What's wrong?" The proctor asked. "Please begin."

Temari watched Tenten's eyes carefully.

"Heh. You want to observe what I do? This is just a warning, but if I start attacking, you're going to be finished in a second. You're not skilled enough to see how I'll attack." She placed a hand on her fan. "Stop trying to look good. I don't mind, come on."

Tenten smiled at the challenge.

"You sure seem confident. Then I'll go without hesitation." She leapt into the air and tossed several shuriken at the blonde kunoichi, but missed. She landed, her face shocked.

"I missed? That can't be!"

Temari placed her hands on her hips. Yes, the woman was a weapons specialist. That was too bad. She was hoping for at least a descent challenge.

"What's wrong? Was that attack just to test me? Or did you shrink up with fear and can no longer aim? I thought that I would have more fun, but it seems that I can't expect much from you. "

Tenten grimaced angrily.

"Temari's always an entertaining fighter to watch, eh?" Kankuro smirked down at his sister.

"This is pointless," Gaara muttered.

The blonde woman watched as Tenten counted the tiles.

'_She's measuring the distance between her and me. Her next attack must be a big one.'_ Temari reached up and grabbed her fan firmly.

The brunette ran in a circle around her, judging the distance between them before leaping into the air and yanking out a red scroll.

"Take this!" She shouted. The scroll unraveled and spun around her in a spiral. She summoned weapons from each of the symbols and threw the summoned items at Temari.

A hail of weapons shot toward the blonde, who simply twitched her arm and all of the weapons fell to the ground, missing her completely. She held her fan beside her, one purple circle revealed.

Tenten landed with shock written on her face.

"What? My weapons… Is there a trick to that fan?" She muttered.

Temari stared at her opponent and chuckled.

"This is the first moon. There are two more. When you see three moons, it's over."

"Tenten! Don't let the enemy make you move at her pace! Stay calm! Stay calm!" The green clad genin shouted out again.

The blonde kunoichi glared up at him. '_Annoying little freak. You'll ruin all my fun_.'

Suddenly the brunette smirked and pulled out two scrolls. She set the scrolls upright on the ground.

Temari chuckled. "No matter what you try, it's useless."

Tenten made hand seals.

"_Soushouryu!_" She cried.

There was an explosion of smoke. Temari lifted her arm slightly to cover her teal eyes. Two dragons of smoke shot up into the air and began spiraling around one another in a deadly dance before turning back into scrolls. Tenten leapt into the air. She summoned numerous weapons and shot them toward Temari fiercely.

"Heh. Even if you increase the numbers, the outcome will be the same!" Temari hoisted her fan up and swung it, revealing the second, purple circle.

"Second moon!" The barrage of deadly weapons was blown away, scattering across the floor.

Tenten landed on the ground, growling. "I'm not done yet!"

She leapt back up and swung her hands around, revealing that the many weapons were attached to strings. She brought the weapons back up again and shot them toward her blonde opponent. Temari merely continued smirking and waved her fan, sending Tenten and the weapons flying away.

The brunette skidded along the floor, crashing into several of her weapons as she slid. Temari held her now completely open fan behind her in an artistic pose, showing that she was as graceful as she was deadly. "Third moon." She said.

She swept the fan around her and vanished. Tenten gasped and looked around frantically.

"Here."

She whipped around.

Temari soared through the air, right over the Leaf kunoichi. Their eyes met, both of them glaring. Temari landed and grabbed her fan, snapping it shut briefly before revealing its full fold again.

"_Ninpou Kamaitachi_!" She exclaimed.

A violent whirlwind of wind blasted towards Tenten, who was easily caught and lifted into the air. Her mouth was open in a scream, but it was impossible to hear over the raging wind. Cuts began appearing on her body, tearing her clothing and sending small bouts of blood into the air.

Finally, the raging tornado gave way and Tenten fell limply toward the ground. Temari held out her now closed fan and caught the girl on the end of it, forcing her body to bend at a violent, unnatural angle. Blood sprayed out of her mouth.

Temari glared fiercely at the other female.

"That was boring. Very boring."

Hayete held out his arm. "Winner, Temari."

The blonde girl smirked and chucked Tenten's unconscious body away. The green freak appeared and caught her, frowning angrily.

"Nice catch." Temari said, smirking.

"Why did you do that?" The freak demanded. "Is that something you should do to someone who fought her hardest?"

Temari scowled and slammed her fan on the ground.

"Shut up! Take that piece of trash and leave."

Idiot. None of these Leaf ninja understood what it meant to be a Suna shinobi. They were trained to be the best, to be the strongest and most merciless shinobi there could be. There were few shinobi in the Sand Village and so those available were trained to the fullest. There was no room for the weak or softhearted. Especially when you were related to the Kazekage himself. If she failed, it reflected directly on her country. Compassion was for outside of battle. To show it in a fight would make or break a mission.

The green kid growled and rushed forward.

"_Konoha Senpuu_!"

Temari merely sidestepped and blocked his leg.

"What…?"

"You're just like how you look, stupid. "

"What did you say?"

The boy's identical teacher appeared. Temari wondered if they were related.

"Stop, Lee."

"Gai-sensei!"

"Temari, come back here." Gaara said. She looked over at him. "You won. Stop dealing with that ugly guy and his guardian."

She shrugged and consented. She was getting sick of looking at those two anyway.

Lee frowned further at the "ugly" statement.

"What was that?" He glared at Gaara who stared back emotionlessly. Gai placed a hand on his student's shoulder.

"Just let it go, Lee." Gai smiled knowingly, his eyes shadowed. "Gentlemen from the Sand, if I may warn you about one thing. Lee is stronger than he looks. You better be prepared for it."

Gaara narrowed his black-rimmed eyes. Temari took her place beside him and suppressed a sigh. Those two were lucky they were Konoha shinobi. If they were back in Suna, they would be dead for saying that.

The next few fights were of little interest to Temari, her mind wandering from subject to subject. She watched as yet another genin was carried away to the emergency room. It was a pale-eyed girl with short, black hair.

She watched the girl sympathetically. The girl had fought with everything she had against a stronger member of her family and still managed to lose. Nonetheless, Temari applauded the girl in her mind. The girl stubbornly refused to give up. And to Temari, that was the perfect example of what a true kunoichi should act like, very much unlike the two that had tied earlier.

Gaara was shivering ever so slightly, his breath uneven. Kankuro looked at his brother uneasily.

'_He must have watched that battle and gotten excited_.' Temari thought, lowering her eyes slightly, turquoise irises filled with concern.

"That Neji guy interests me." Kankuro said. "Let me go do something."

Temari stepped out of his way as he began walking off. "Kankuro?"

He waved his hand. "I'm going to go on a little recon mission."

The names on the screen began spinning and Temari watched her brother walk over to dog-owning Konoha shinobi.

Gaara made a hand sign and vanished in a swirl of sand, reappearing in the arena. "Hurry up."

The screen stopped. On the other side of the arena, a fat kid suddenly yelled "SAFE!" His teammates jumped and proceeded to knock him upside the head for being an idiot.

The freaks in green began yelling and bouncing around again. Temari looked at the screen, which read "Rock Lee" and raised an eyebrow at the screaming idiots. Are these two actually ninjas?

The small freak jumped down into the arena, smiling.

"I'm very happy that I can fight you so early."

Gaara stared with his usual, expressionless face.

"I don't know what kind of moves that bobbed haired guy uses, but he can't beat Gaara." Temari heard Kankuro say.

_'Damn straight.'_ Temari thought. '_He has speed, but his kick wasn't that great.'_

Lee started and lifted his hand, catching the cork that flew out of Gaara's gourd.

"Don't be so hasty." He said, dropping the small item.

Gaara glared, specks of sand beginning to float into the air.

"Begin."

The green freak wasted no time in making his move, dashing forward. He leapt into the air and attempted to hit Gaara with his _Konoha Senpuu_ only to be blocked by sand. The sand chased the green boy as he leapt away, reaching out a ways before backing off.

Undaunted, he ran forward again, kicking and punching the sand shield multiple times. He drew a kunai as the sand attempted to get him from behind and slashed through the menacing tendrils.

The green clad ninja was clearly growing frustrated as his attacks continued to fail. Gaara didn't even move.

"Is that it?" Gaara asked coldly. "Let me enjoy this a little more. There isn't enough blood." The sand lashed out towards Lee.

He attempted to leap out of the way, but the sand caught in around the ankle and whipped him around. He slammed into a wall, gasping to pull air back into his lungs. Another wave of sand came at him and he rolled out of the way, quickly getting to his feet and rushing once again.

After another failed attempt, the sand followed him as he attempted to back away, tripping him. A hand of sand crashed down towards him, but he evaded in the nick of time, landing on the hand symbol monument.

He stared down at Gaara, panting lightly.

"Lee, take them off!" His sensei suddenly yelled.

The boy saluted, but his face was clouded with confusion.

"But Gai-sensei, I thought that was only permitted when protecting many important people!"

The man gave him thumbs up. "This is an exception!"

Lee looked awed. "Really?"

He laughed and pulled down his leg warmers, revealing weights. He pulled them off and stood.

"All right! Now I can move freely!"

Temari rolled her eyes. "Taking off a couple pounds of weight won't enable you to catch up with Gaara's sand."

But as the weights hit the ground, two massive craters came into existence. Her eyes widened.

'_Then again… shit.'_

"Go Lee!"

"Yes sir!" Lee vanished in a blur.

For the first time in years, Gaara looked shocked. Out of nowhere, Lee's fist shot toward Gaara, barely blocked by the sand. The redhead spun around in alarm. Another hit blew through the sand, barely missing, and another and yet another. Gaara was looking everywhere, trying to get a glimpse of his speedy opponent. One of Lee's hits slipped through the sand; it missed Gaara's head by centimeters.

Then Lee was in the air, spinning. He brought his foot down in a harsh kick, Gaara's head following the movement violently.

"Gaara!" Temari cried. The demon container backed away, a cut apparent on his features. His face was set in a glower of grudging respect.

_'I can't believe it. _Gaara_ got wounded.'_ Temari thought, her mouth agape.

"The explosion of _youth_!" Gai screeched.

Lee rushed forward once again, grinning. Gaara took a step back and sent a wave of sand towards the freak, but he appeared from behind, his fist blocked once again. He vanished again, quickly

"Over here!" Lee said. Gaara was spinning around, his eyes wide. A fist landed on Gaara's cheek, knocking him through the air. He skidded along the ground.

Gaara stood with his face low, sand pouring out of his gourd. His arms hung by his sides limply as small bits of sand began crumbling off his face. Gaara looked up with an insane grin, shards of the sand shell covering his body falling apart. The sand rose up and began crawling back onto the redhead.

Temari pressed her lips together.

'_I felt that he was becoming more and more unstable as we progressed through the exams._ _Since Gaara was forced to use his Sand Armor, it proves that he's feeling the pressure right now. This could be bad if Shukaku awakens. Nonetheless, that Lee guy is pretty strong, but the outcome of this match will still be the same. He cannot defeat Gaara.'_

"Is that all you've got" Gaara asked, his arms crossed.

However, the green clad boy smiled. He undid some of the wrappings on his arms. "Prepare yourself!" He exclaimed, rushing forward. He ran around Gaara in circles, a green blur.

"Hurry up and come." Gaara sounded bored.

"As you wish!" Lee said excitedly, his foot suddenly coming from underneath and nailing Gaara in the jaw. His body was forced up into the air. Lee lumped up after him and kicked Gaara multiple times out of reach of the sand. The odd boy winced from pain. His wrappings lashed out and wrapped around Gaara, catching him in a cocoon. He twisted the two of them so that they were upside down and began spinning rapidly toward the ground.

"Take this! _Omoto Renge_!" They slammed into the ground like a human drill, sending dust and shards of broken concrete everywhere. Temari gasped, her hands flying up to her mouth. Gaara lay still on the ground, his eyes wide and cracks evident all over his body. "That should've hurt."

The proctor walked over to examine the body, but suddenly Gaara began falling apart, revealing that it had just been a _Suna Bushin_. Temari sighed in relief, despite herself. She knew it had been a fake, and yet the sight of her little brother lying there like that…

Lee stared in horror, his massive eyebrows twitching. "What!"

A pillar of sand rose up behind the green ninja, sand sifting away to reveal Gaara and a crazed, bloodthirsty smile. He was chuckling.

Temari's eyes widened. '_That's… his eyes… the demon has awakened! Damn that idiot Leaf ninja!'_

Sand shot around everywhere, attacking Lee viciously. The boy could hardly seem to move. His attack must have put a lot of strain on his body, damaging him. A huge wave of sand bashed into him, sending him spiraling into another wall.

Gaara licked his lips hungrily.

Lee panted, his chest heaving and his arms held out. Somehow he managed to dodge Gaara's next few attacks. Gaara brought his hands into a sign and hit Lee with another attack. The Leaf ninja cried out of pain.

"He should just give up already." Temari said to herself. Gaara was just playing with him now. It was another deadly game of cat and mouse.

Gaara's breathing was rough as he grinned down at the fallen Leaf-nin.

"Heh. So useless."

The sand moved forward once again and pummeled Lee. Sand flew across the arena and by the expression on the boy's face, it was clear to everyone that the freak had come to a decision.

"No Lee-san! If you fight anymore you'll die!" The pink-haired girl exclaimed.

But Lee dodged the attack, his speed restored. Gaara stared on, annoyed. Burst of sand shot toward him, but he dodged time and time again. Suddenly, the area around the freak became heavy with power.

Gaara glowered. "I don't know what you're trying to do, but you're going to be finished here."

"Yes. Either way, the next move will end everything." Lee said. "I cannot be the only one who loses here!"

Gaara's eyes widened a fraction at the sheer amount of power rolling off of his opponent.

"Gai-sensei, please acknowledge this… now is the time…" Chunks of stone flew around the air, held up by chakra was so thick it was visible. "To abide and protect my way of the ninja! Third gate, life gate; open! " He exclaimed.

Temari's mouth was agape. This kid could open the gates? '_This… could actually be very bad…'_ She watched as his skin turned red.

"Now to the fourth gate, wound gate; open!" He screamed. The sheer force of power seemed to be ripping him apart. He sped off again at inhuman speeds, the ground tearing up in his wake. Gaara was once again kicked into the air. Temari glanced around frantically before glancing up.

"_Otouto_!" She exclaimed as he flew through the air, cringing in pain. The sand slowly moved up toward Gaara._ 'The sand isn't fast enough anymore! Gaara, you have to end this quickly!'_

Cracks spider webbed across Gaara's face.

"The Sand Armor again?" Lee said, rushing forward. "Then how about this?" He appeared in front of Gaara and hit him, sending him flying in another direction, the shockwave of the hit causing the room to tremble. He shot all around the room, pummeling Gaara from all sides. The _Suna no Yoroi_ was falling apart.

Panic spread across Temari's features.

"You are tough!" Lee stated, bouncing around. "But… !" He balled his hand into a fist. "This is the end! Fifth gate, the forest gate; open!" He cried.

Gaara moved his hands in front of him defensively, eyes wide. Lee nailed him square in the stomach. The redhead flew towards the ground, but the green clad boy grabbed a hold of his sash and pulled him back into the air.

_'The shield of sand cannot catch up! And most of his armor of sand is gone… Gaara!'_

Lee drove his fist down mercilessly. "_Ura Renge_!" He screamed as they flew into the ground.

The crater made enormous. Dust and debris shot through the air, forcing Temari to close her eyes and shield her face with her arms. She managed to glimpse, however, that at the last moment, the Gaara's gourd turned into sand and cushioned his fall. Lee crashed into the ground, utterly spent.

"Gaara!" Kankuro exclaimed, gripping the hand railing.

Gaara lay on the ground, trembling, his breath heavy and sand spread across the floor. His eyes were filled with fury. He held out his hand. The sand flew towards Lee, who tried weakly to crawl away. The sand crawled over his left leg and arm.

"_Sabaku Sosu_!" Gaara declared, making a fist. Lee screamed as the sand crushed his limbs savagely. He fell to the ground, broken concrete etching across his back. Gaara sent more sand towards the boy.

"Die!"

However, the sand suddenly dispersed, driven away by the boy's instructor. Gaara sat up, his eyes showing surprise and fury. The two males stared at one another. Gaara suddenly winced, gripping his head in pain. He looked over at the man.

"Why?" He gasped through the memories being forced through his head. "Why did you help him?"

"He's… because he is precious to me."

Gaara's head tilted slightly, uncomprehending.

"Precious to you?" Temari questioned. '_That's something… that Gaara… cannot understand_…'

Gaara stood up and walked off, his gourd reforming. "I quit."

Hayete held up his hand, the winner having already been decided the moment Gai interfered.

"Winner, Gaa-… !"

Everyone gasped. Gaara paused and looked back at Lee, who was shakily standing up again. Blood dripped from his wounds.

"This can't be… " Gai said in disbelief.

Gaara turned top the green clad boy again, prepared to finish him off.

Gai walked over to the boy and held his shoulder. "Lee, it's okay, it's over. You shouldn't stand up." Suddenly, Gai's face took on an expression of horror. "Lee… you…" Tears began to fall. "You're… Are you trying to prove your way of the ninja, even after you have lost consciousness?"

Temari's eyes widened. The boy was out cold, huh?

The green man pulled the boy to him and hugged him gently. Lee's eyes slipped shut. "Lee… you are… An excellent ninja already."

"Winner, Gaara." Hayete said in a somber tone.

"Hn. There's no way you can defeat Gaara." Temari said to herself, watching as Gai carefully laid Lee on the ground.

Gaara's face was closed and bitter, but to Temari, his eyes told all. They were eyes filled with hate and envy. Those jade eyes were almost enough to make Temari's eyes burn. She bit her lip, keeping an unaffected expression on her face.

The medics arrived quickly and examined the Leaf ninja, a green glow emitting from their hands. It didn't take long for one of the medics to take Gai aside and announce to him that Lee's days as a ninja were over. The man was nearly brought to tears again. Temari wasn't surprised.

Gaara watched as they carried Lee's broken body to the hospital. Gai turned away a broken man.

Her red-haired brother closed his eyes and vanished in a swirl of sand, reappearing next to his sister. Temari greeted him with a smile.

"Welcome back, Gaara." She said, unable to hide her relief.

He shot her a sparing glance and for a moment, in that particular light, Temari could have almost sworn there was a hint of a smile on his face. Not a crazy one either.

It completely made her day.

The final match was pathetic. It didn't even last two minutes before the Sound genin knocked the fat kid out with a single hit.

After the pitiful display, they received their instructions for the main matches. Temari was to go last, fighting against either the shadow-user or the haystack guy from the Sound. The Hokage gave her a strange look as he spoke that left her puzzled and wary. Then they were dismissed.

Temari breathed in the clean, outside air as she left the building with her brothers. She was glad to be out of that hot, smelly arena. It stank of sweat. She glanced around at the bustling village and came to a decision.

"I'm going to the hot springs." She said, walking off.

"What do you need to go to the hot springs for?" Kankuro asked incredulously. "You just took a shower this morning."

She looked back at him. "Yeah, and we just finished fighting. I don't want to smell like _you_."

Kankuro huffed and crossed his arms. Gaara stood there for a moment before walking in the same direction Temari had gone in. Kankuro looked at him.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't want to smell like you, either."

Kankuro yelled in fury and grabbed at his head. "You guys really suck!"

* * *

Temari sighed happily as she lowered her body into the hot, steamy water of the baths. Yes, this was the life. The stress knots in her shoulders loosened and relaxed. She ran her moistened fingers through her short, bushy, blonde hair. She rolled her shoulders once before dipping her head in the water and soaking her locks.

She sighed again and looked up at the sky. What a week! She couldn't remember a week as hectic as this one, but then, she'd never been in a Chuunin Exam before, so it wasn't completely unexpected.

A few more women walked into the bath. Temari hadn't ordered a private one, she didn't feel the need she wasn't in Suna with her overprotective brothers (even if Gaara didn't show it). And it wasn't as if anybody here would remember her face anyway. If it weren't for everyone in Suna being terrified of Gaara, she'd probably be beating suitors off in hoards. Being his sister did have its perks; she had no interest in romance at this time in her life.

She giggled to herself as she remembered an incident when she was twelve. One of the local boys came over to the house asking for her hand in marriage. It was kind of cute, seeing as he was a good four years younger than her, simply an ignorant child with a crush. But Kankuro had nearly castrated the poor kid, chasing him off with one of his first puppets. Kankuro still had the scar from Temari's fan.

Her thoughts were shattered when she heard an odd, girly giggling sound. She looked at the other women.

No, none of them were giggling. They were just relaxing in the hot water.

She looked around as the sound reached her ears again. Her eyes grazed along the fence and her eyes stopped on a small hole in the wood. An eye was peeping through it. She screamed.

"PERVERT!"

* * *

Gaara sunk down into the water, his clothing and gourd piled neatly in a corner of the private spring. The water clouded a bit as grains of sand spread throughout the bath.

He pondered upon his fight today with the freak in the green leotard, however, he wasn't thinking about the strange boy.

He heard, quite clearly, Temari call him '_otouto_' at one point when he was being pummeled. It troubled him. He cared nothing for his siblings and as far as he knew, they didn't care for him either. However, Temari's reaction to his battle suggested otherwise. Especially when he reappeared beside her in the stands. He had rarely heard her sound do sincerely concerned before and it was aimed at him.

'But… why?'

**Forget the incident. She was lying to you. She doesn't really care for you, she was just pretending.**

_'Mother…'_

**She's like all the rest, Gaara. I'm the only one that truly cares for you, don't forget that. You don't love anybody. Nobody cares about you, especially not her.**

_'But… Mother… what if she does? What if she really does care? Could…'_

**Silence!**

Gaara grasped his skull, cringing.

**She does not care for you. No one could ever love a monster like you, Gaara. You only have yourself to love.**

Gaara bit his lip. '_But…'_

**Why must you press upon this issue? She does not love you at all! I thought you cared about me, Gaara. But it seems I was wrong. Perhaps I shall die…**

_'No! I-I'm sorry mother! Please forgive me! You're right, you're always right! I'll be a good boy, Mother. I'm such a good boy. Please don't die, Mother! I don't want you to die. I'm a good boy.'_

**Good.**

Gaara sank down into the water, only his eyes staying above the surface. Small bubbles rose up. His emotionless mask was gone for the time being, exposing the immensely sad, lost child within. Mother was right. Mother was always right. Still, he wished someone would…

"PERVERT!"

He sat up. That was Temari's voice. Several other female screeches followed. He quickly preformed the justu for the Third Eye. He had it materialize in the direction the voices were coming from and found himself smirking.

Temari, and several other towel-clad women, were beating the lights out of an apparently perverted, old man with bizarre, white hair. Temari was using her fan quite viciously.

"Oh, not the face! Not the face!"

"Pervert!"

"Get him!"

"You gross old man!"

"Creep!"

"Sicko! Is that how you get your freak on? Huh?"

"I'm going to castrate you!" Temari yelled, bring her fan down especially hard.

The man trembled in fear and horror. "OH GOD NO! NOT THERE, PLEASE!"

Gaara chuckled despite himself. Perhaps Kankuro was right. It _was_ entertaining to watch Temari fight.

**End Chapter 4**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Stars glittered. The moon grinned down: a toothy skull bleached white by the sun. The soft glow of windows warmed the otherwise cold, dark streets. A lunar moth made it's way through the sky, beating its wings frantically.

In all honestly, Temari felt quite foolish, sneaking around Konoha's empty alleyways in the middle of the night. There were a dozen—a hundred, really—different moments when choosing to sneak out of the city limits was at a much better time—the middle of the day, for example, or even at dusk. But she had, too conveniently, let those chances pass by and now she found herself slinking around in the dark. Of course, the full moon played no small role either. She'd awoken to the sound of fighting and not long after she opened her eyes, blood dripped down from the ceiling. No doubt it was Gaara's work.

Konoha patrol hadn't proven to be a hindrance to her yet. In actuality, it was her sensei, Baki, who nearly caught her—her own fault for being too close after he'd caught an eavesdropping Leaf-nin. Quite miraculously, or just a stroke of odd fortune, a runaway cat had saved Temari. She doubted Baki would have punished her much –if at all- if he'd caught her, but this was one personal mission she didn't plan on revealing to her teacher just yet. He was too aggressive and straightforward to handle things the way she thought they ought to be.

She slipped out through the west gate once again and kept out of the road, taking refuge in the thick, moist foliage. Ferns jutted out like giant, green feathers. Toadstools stair-cased up trees until they could no longer be seen from the ground. Dead leaves curled around tiny, verdant fingers of new growth. Long dead twigs were too waterlogged with dew to snap.

She hadn't brought her battle-fan with her this time—it was too obvious a weapon, too easily deemed a threatening object. However, the small folding fan tucked into her obi ensured that she would not be completely helpless if things turned for the worse.

She finally found him sitting on a boulder, one knee propped up, tails fanning out over the stone like rivers of gold. Everything from his hair to his skin and even his clothing looked muted in the pale glow of the moon. His eyes, as blue as the sea, was the only part of his person that seemed to glow brighter.

It wasn't until he spoke that she realized she had been staring.

"Why don't you run?"

She blinked, coming back to awareness, and licked the back of her teeth.

"Excuse me?" She stiffened instinctually as he looked away from the sky, his eyes resting upon her form. She couldn't help but lift her arms to cover herself, for it felt as if he were looking through her clothes, through _her_.

"Everyone runs." He stated simply. "You ran, before. Why are you not running now?"

She steeled herself, glaring back at him defiantly. "I have something I need to find out."

One nostril widened—twitched really—and he looked back at the sky, as if deeming her something no longer to be bothered with. Despite the action, he did not ignore her. "You did not find that out last time you trespassed into my domain?"

"There are more things I need to know."

"Then ask them."

Temari was surprised, though she did not show it. She had expected him to be more reluctant to speak with her. '_Well, one shouldn't look a gift-horse in the mouth.'_ She thought. Two of his tails twitched about aimlessly.

"Are you an enemy of Konoha?"

"No."

Her stomach knotted. "Then you are its ally."

He actually laughed at that, a short bark that caught her unawares.

"Not as such." He glanced at her and continued, spotting her frown. "Konoha is part of my territory, but I hold no great love for it. Not anymore."

Temari raised an eyebrow, but did not prod. "In that case, what would you do if, hypothetically, an invading force came for Konoha through your forest?"

He was fully facing her now, looking dangerously amused.

"Konoha is my territory. They would not reach it." It was unspoken, but the intentions behind those words echoed loudly through the small clearing. '_I will kill them.'_

"I see." She pinched her lips together. Her insecurities confirmed, she turned and moved to walk away.

"_Hypothetically_," he began, causing her to pause and glance back, "What nations would be involved in such a situation?"

She spun around to face him, her instincts on high alert. He was no longer sitting on his rock—he was standing.

_'Eight,'_ she counted_, 'he has eight tails. He's short one.'_ Her hand went to the small fan in her obi. "I don't see why that would matter to y—!!"

He'd closed the distance between them in an instant, grabbing her wrist with enough force to make her cry out in pain and surprise. He narrowed his eyes at her. "I answered your questions, so now you shall answer mine."

His claw-like nails dug into her wrist, forcing her to drop her fan to the ground. He grabbed her other shoulder with his remaining hand and pulled her right up against him, staring down on her. Despite the pain, she felt a savage blush burn across her cheeks and creep up her neck. She had never been this physically close to any man who wasn't family or an enemy. His masculine smell was overpowering and made her feel light in the head.

He tilted his head at her reaction, puzzled, having expected her to struggle in some way. He had a roundness to his face that gave away his youth. He couldn't have been much older than her, perhaps even a bit younger. From the angle he held her in, she could see the whiskers on his cheeks clearly. The whiskers were still ugly, but they were ugly the same way Gaara's eyes were ugly. They defined him in some way; he wouldn't be who he was without them.

His golden eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes hard with frustration. "Why don't you run?" He ground out.

She moved her gaze to stare him in the eye. "Should I run?"

His grip slackened, and his face evened out in shock.

"'Should you'…" he echoed, "But, everyone always…" his words faded and she stared up at him defiantly. "You are… an odd one, aren't you?"

Temari could see that he was having a difficult time comprehending what she had said. They were no longer touching; he had backed up about a foot—still uncomfortably close. She decided to distract him with the simplest question that came to mind.

"What is your name?"

He blinked and, surprisingly, smiled. Suddenly, he didn't seem so frightening nor his cheeks so ugly.

"No one's asked me for my name before. My name is Naruto."

She nodded tensely. "I'm-."

"Oh, I already know who you are," he interrupted, looking away. His eyes were once more focused on the moon. "You should go back to the village now." He uttered rather softly.

She didn't dare protest. She eyed him once more from his bare feet to his limp cloak and sunny hair. "Goodnight."

He turned to look at her yet again, but she had already taken to the trees, her fan forgotten. He picked up the small object, turning it over in his hands. He continued to frown.

"You are a very odd individual, Temari. Very."

**End Chapter 5**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Temari wouldn't call herself a bad cook. Kankuro might, but despite his jokes, she couldn't really burn _water_. She honestly wasn't a _bad_ cook, though, Temari had to admit, she was a far cry from what one would call a "skilled" chef.

That still didn't explain why the sweet omelette she'd made was … _growling_.

She stood with Kankuro over the plate, staring at the scrambled, yellow protein. Snarling noises emanated from the table each time they attempted to fork the food.

"Jeez, Temari, are you trying to poison me or something?" Kankuro asked, staring at the offending mass. His hood, for once, was down.

"Don't be stupid!" She snapped. He pulled down his eyelid. She stuck out her tongue.

Frustrated, he finally slammed the fork into the, now cold, meal. "Damn, growling omele-!" Unexpectedly, a small gray form blurred out from under the table and latched onto Kankuro's wrist.

"Holy-!" Temari exclaimed.

"Fox!" Kankuro yelled. "Fox! It's a _fucking_ fox!"

"Kankuro, stop!"

"Get it the hell off me, _now_!"

"I would if you'd stop waving your arm around like an _idiot_!" She managed to latch her hands around the animal's middle. It shuddered as if ticklish, and immediately stopped biting her brother's hand. It didn't stay in her grasp for long, however, wiggling free and leaping onto the table to start devouring the no-longer growling omelette.

Kankuro cradled his hand, which was starting to turn red with irritation. "Damn animal! You'd better not have rabies, fox!"

"I'll take care of it." Temari sighed, picking the fox up by the scruff of it's neck and took it outside. She resisted the urge to pinch her nose against the creature's potent musk.

Setting it down in an alleyway, she put her hands on her hips, glaring. The fox seemed oblivious to the trouble it had gotten itself into, licking its maw of any remaining egg bits.

"_He_ sent you to spy on us, didn't he?" She asked the animal. Unsurprisingly, it didn't respond. Temari crossed her arms. "Well tell him to stop, because I don't appreciate being stalked!"

The little gray fox proceeded to urinate on the side of a garbage can.

This time Temari really did pinch her nostrils closed.

"Ugh! You guys smell as bad as skunks do!" She turned away. "I don't want to see you milling about our hotel room again, got it?"

She was preaching to deaf ears. The _kitsune_ kicked dirt over the side of the can and bounded away.

* * *

It had been a very long time since Temari was homesick. Foreigners always talked of how lifeless and barren the desert was, they complained about the scorching days and whined about the frigid nights and only saw the desperation and death that the golden grains of sand brought to travelers.

They didn't see that things didn't have to be green to be full of life, and the desert was teeming with it. Sidewinder snakes broke cresting ripples of sand, cacti flourished fat and plump with sea urchin shaped flowers, Kangaroo Mice munched on dry seeds only to be snapped up by an enormous-eared Fennec Fox looking to feed her kits, the Horned Lizard squirted blood at predators from it's eyes. The list went on and on, and yet it still only scratched the surface.

Dig down a little deeper and still more creatures make themselves known. Though, these ones were much more dangerous: tarantulas, wasps, biting ants, and scorpions.

Scorpions were probably the deadliest of all.

All villages have their rebels, civilian or shinobi. Whether or not those rebels do anything significant is a matter of motivation—Among other things. Some villages have prisoners who felt they have been mistreated, some have war-hawk old men with his secret web of spies, and others have groups of children who have something to prove—groups like Sunagakure's Black Scorpion Gang.

_"She's late,"_

They hadn't been impressive at first—just a bunch of young people with radical ideas about how the government should have been run. More of a club, really, that met at night in the abandoned catacombs underneath the city. They had first found their way down through sewage pipes and the emergency evacuation tunnels.

Then _Akasuna no Sasori_ came. The man aptly named "The Red Scorpion."

Even after he had been declared a missing-nin, the Black Scorpion was no longer the little fledgling group it once was. After Sasori, things down there became serious. Underneath the sandy village of _Sunagakure no Sato_ was an entire other city, inhabited by rebels waiting for the opportunity to change the way things were run up above. No few people knew it was there, but it was a small number that knew how large it was, and fewer still knew the way down.

_"Yeah, yeah, you wind users, so touchy about your air…"_

Temari was one such person. It wasn't a group she was proud to be associated with. At one point, she had been, but as a young woman nearing nineteen years of age, she no longer saw a coup as a good method of changing things. She was the daughter of the _Yondaime _Kazekage, she grew up in politics, and she knew now that it was words, not force, that would be most effective in changing the way Suna's government was run.

Unfortunately, quitting the Black Scorpion was no cakewalk.

* * *

_"She's late," he muttered, exhaling a generous plume of smoke, "again."_

_A fifteen-year old Temari ignored her partner's obvious statement, picking at her battle kimono. There were several things that she would have preferred to be doing at the moment—sleeping, for example—but instead she found herself crouched in an alley in the wee hours of the morning, waiting for a person she wanted little to do with._

_She looked over at the cigarette suddenly held beside her face. Scowling, she knocked his hand away. "Suikouta, get that shit out of my face!"_

_Her partner sighed, rolling his eyes. "Tch. Yeah, yeah, you wind users, so touchy about your air. One drag ain't gonna kill you, Goldilocks."_

_"Oh, shut it." She ignored his deep, throaty laugh in favor of watching a new person form out of the shadows._

_She was older than Temari and of a slimmer build due to a childhood illness. Her hair gleamed fire while amber eyes glinted sharply over the surgeon's mask covering most of her face. She wasn't built like a fighter, even if the sandy-colored trench coat she wore implied differently, but her eyes were intelligent. And Temari knew that the damage this girl could do with her tongue was often more devastating than the damage an explosive tag could do._

_"Aiko," Suikouta stated, dropping his death stick to the ground and scuffing it out with the toe of his shoe, "You're late."_

_

* * *

_

Her back to the floor, Temari traced her finger over the tiny scorpion tattoo just beneath her armpit, the brand that forever marked her as a person against her father. The reminder she could never rid herself of, no matter how far she ran.

_"Hey, Goldilocks."_

The tattoo was proof of her betrayal to her own village.

_"Haven't seen you down here in a while!"_

Lowing her arm, Temari rolled onto her belly and looked out the window of her room. A hundred miles away from home, yet the sky still bore the same stars. She stood and a moment later the hotel room was empty.

**End Chapter 6**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

It was a rare occasion, indeed, that the Sandaime Hokage came outside the village walls to pay a visit to the foxes that inhabited the forest. And he did indeed _pay_ because each time he came, they demanded food. Some of the older foxes watched the younger ones eat from the sidelines, too old and spiteful to eat from the banquet offered to them, yet willing to show their respect to the older man by allowing themselves to be seen. Only the will of their Prince and master prevented some of those older ones from filtering into the Hidden Leaf Village and killing its inhabitants.

The Demon Prince's power was not absolute just yet.

Said young man, eight tails seeming to float behind him, dismissed a large blue-gray fox with a wave of his hand, their discussion ended. He turned to the weathered Hokage.

"I apologize, Hiruzen-oji-san, my foxes have not caught a whiff of this Orochimaru. Only Ren spotted him in the Forest of Death, but you are already aware of what happened there. The serpent population is still on the rise—they're flocking to the area—so I believe he cannot be far."

The old man nodded. "I see. I appreciate the effort, anyway, Naruto-kun."

"It's no trouble. Though, I think Ren might…" a small strawberry-blonde fox rubbed up against his leg. Naruto sighed and crossed his arms, a teasing glitter in his eyes.

"She may want a special treat as payment, am I right, Ren?" The young fox yipped happily.

Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled, kneeling to scratch the kit behind one ear. "I apologize, dear one. You will have to wait until next time."

Ren seemed to pout, but licked his hand in understanding. A few of the older foxes bristled, but made no threatening movements. The little kitsune put her nose into the air and sniffed when the old man pulled away. She yipped excitedly, dashing off.

The juvenile's actions made Naruto pinch his lips, his left hand fiddling with a small fan absently. The object did not escape Sarutobi's notice, and he narrowed his eyes at the Suna insignia etched into the wooden frame.

"Where did you get that fan, Naruto-kun?"

The Demon Prince's skin shifted with veiled surprise, and he ducked his hand behind his back.

"It was on the ground." He said shortly.

It wasn't a satisfying answer, but the aged Hokage didn't dare pry. He only hoped that the young prince wasn't plotting something against Konohagakure. Like finishing what _Kyubi no Yoko_ started—It was an old worry that had never truly died out.

Sarutobi's unease did not go unnoticed and Naruto sought to end their encounter. The old man had the most peculiar ways of deciphering the Demon Prince's body language, and having his private thoughts exposed was not an experience he enjoyed. And Hiruzen and his ANBU guards were not the only one paying the Demon Prince's forest a visit right now. His feet itched to move.

Thankfully, for once, Sarutobi left him to his unease without much resistance, ANBU Cat and Eagle vanishing in twin, leafy dust devils. The golden-haired man dashed off within the span of a heartbeat.

The intruder was the Suna woman again, Temari. She sensed his presence almost immediately and he didn't bother hiding, walking into the light with a cocky smirk.

"What brings the lady back?"

She wasn't amused, and held up a guilty-looking gray kitsune by its scruff.

"I don't appreciate being stalked, Demon Prince."

"I assure you, you're not being stalked. I observe all foreigners that come into my territory."

Temari's face was marred by a sneer. "Call it whatever you like, I don't want you or for foxes _watching_ me anymore."

Oh, she was _funny_.

"What makes you think it's _you_, I'm so interested in? You're just a _human_."

Teal eyes widened in comprehension. "My brother. It's Gaara you're keeping tabs on."

He smiled and she was unable to determine if it was friendly or malicious. "So that's his name. Gaara, eh?"

Temari huffed and dropped the fox. It landed with catlike grace and scampered to its master's side.

"You stay away from him. Gaara has it hard enough as it is." She said, turning on her heel, chin high with pride.

"Miss Temari."

She paused and glanced back warily.

The prince rolled his wrist. "Come, walk with me."

She hesitated with shock before deciding the best course of action was following, soon falling into step beside him. Speckles of green, gray, and sunshine yellow fell upon them from between the trees' thick foliage. Naruto had his clawed hands held behind his back and she noticed her fan was in his grasp. He still smelled.

"Did you want it back?"

She jumped a little. He had noticed her staring. She glanced away, pink with embarrassment. "No, I have others. I don't need it."

He smiled, eyes bright. "I will keep it then. Thank you." Temari stopped in her tracks, eyes narrow. The Demon Prince paused several feet away, half-turned toward the female. "Yes?"

"Your personality is so… different from what I expected. Not at all like what I read."

Naruto was surprised. "There's a book about me?"

Temari crossed her arms. "The Kyubi, yes. You're not at all like the legends say."

"Of course not! I'm not Father; I'm me. I suppose you're exactly like your mother, are you?"

She wondered at the title 'father.' It was parallel to Gaara calling Ichibi 'mother.' But unlike her brother, the tails that swayed with the Demon Prince's every step, his backswept ears, his sharp, predatory eyes, were too real to be the delusions of a half-mad young man.

Naruto began walking and again stopped, looking vaguely annoyed that she did not immediately follow as expected.

"Why have you asked me to walk with you?"

He didn't miss a beat. "I answered your questions. You have yet to answer mine."

Her pretty face turned into a scowl. "Is that it? I believe I already gave you my answer to that the last time we met."

The atmosphere between them suddenly turned predatory and Temari froze in place, heart rate accelerating. He approached her in one smooth movement and grabbed her chin forcefully between his thumb and forefinger.

"I do not just _give out_ information," he growled, "this not a 'give-take' situation, Miss Temari."

Somehow, she managed to swallow through the knot in her throat, and was thankful he couldn't see her fingers trembling. "What… what do you want to know?"

Unexpectedly, he shrugged as he released her and jumped into the tree branches above her. "I haven't decided yet."

She took a steadying breath. Now he was just making her angry.

"What do you mean you haven't decided? What is the point of me still being here, then?"

He stared down at her from between his bare toes. "You are here because, until I have decided what to ask, you will be coming back to me every day."

It was too much. She gaped at him, open-mouthed.

"You-you…. Ridiculous! I have finals to train for!"

His eyes were hard. "It was not a request."

"Who do you think you _are_? I'm not some minion of yours to call at your every whim and fancy!"

Naruto was unfazed. "Nevertheless, I expect you to come visit tomorrow- preferably after dark- and the days after until I have been compensated."

"You-you _infuriating_ man!" She exclaimed, stomping her foot. "You stubborn, infuriating, _son of a_-!"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you." He chimed, smiling impishly; but there was a dangerous gleam in his alien blue gaze.

She growled—a half-hearted attempt at suppressing a frustrated scream—and walked away.

"See you tomorrow, Temari-san!" The Demon Prince said cheerily, waving.

This time she really did scream.

**End Chapter 7**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Something was up.

Despite his detachment from his blood siblings, Gaara noticed a lot more than he let on. If Temari or Kankuro so much as blew their noses, it didn't escape his notice. Now, noticing and paying attention are two very different things. Just because he noticed something didn't necessarily mean that he cared heads or tails about it. But, there were rare occasions where something his siblings did required confrontation. Temari's affiliation with the Black Scorpion was once such a problem; but this time, he didn't imagine it'd be so easy to find out what she was doing.

Whatever it was, it was interfering with their mission. He would put an end to it.

-

"Tell me about your brother."

Temari glared at the Demon Prince of Konohagakure no Sato.

"If I answer, do I get to leave?"

He popped a ball of _dango_ between his lips and chewed. Heaven _knows_ how he got his hands on the sweet. His eyes were squinted into narrow slivers.

"Probably not."

The woman huffed and crossed her arms. "Then I'm not telling you."

"Suit yourself!" He seemed content to wait until she was annoyed to the point of screaming everything he wanted to know at him. Another dango disappeared into his mouth. She caught a glimpse of sharp, inhumanly long canines. The _Inuzuka_ had nothing on this guy's teeth.

The Demon Prince wasn't much of a host. Their encounters consisted of walking through the forest or sitting around for hours on end. When he thought of a question, she would stubbornly refuse to answer and the fact that he seemed content to let her sulk only served to infuriate her further. She simply hoped that, underneath his mocking grin, he was growing just as frustrated as she was.

They continued to sit in near-silence, the sound of chewing grated on Temari's nerves. Her teeth ground against each other and she made a point of looking at everything except for the yellow-haired demon sitting beside her.

"Gaara turns 16 this winter," she began, ignoring his burning gaze now settling on her cheek, "Our mother died birthing him. Sometimes, deep down, I blame him for our family being a mess. He doesn't see Kankuro or me as siblings. I think he's had it as hard as you, maybe worse, because the Ichibi hates him--he's never slept a day in his life."

Naruto's stare made her skin writhe. "And what makes you think Kyuubi doesn't hate me?"

She looked at him then out of the corner of her eye. "You're its heir, aren't you?"

He spread his hands. "And that means what? A demon's first priority, like that of any creature, is to survive. Father's determination to live on through me is born simply of that instinct. It does not make him resent me any less or love me any more. Our lives are bound together—if I die, he dies. The person you see before you is no more than the result of a mutual agreement from the desire to live."

She was facing him fully now, eyes meeting his unflinchingly. "You… are a very unpredictable person. Everything that comes out of your mouth is so…"

He grinned, resting his chin on his open palm. "Everything that comes out of my mouth is so… what?"

"Surprising," She finished somewhat lamely. Surprising didn't even begin to cover it, "But I think I'm staring to figure you out."

His grin widened. "Really now?"

"Really."

He stood then, and held out one clawed hand. "Come on, I'd like to show you something."

Temari stared at his hand for a moment. "I take it back. I have no idea what to make of you."

"Just come on." He laughed, taking a hold of her wrist when she didn't take his offered palm.

Her body was tense with suspicion. "Where are you taking me?"

"You make it sound as if I were kidnapping you."

"You could be, for all I know."

"Now what could I possibly gain from spiriting you away?"

"Oh, a great number of things: money, power over Sunagakure, but I don't suppose those sort of things interest you."

"Not really, no."

"What _would_ you do if you had me as a hostage?"

He grinned at her over his shoulder. "I'd make you my pleasure slave, of course." Temari's expression darkened.

"Kidding! Kidding! I'm not so dishonorable to do something so terrible as that. You can be assured that the only thing I want from you is information."

"Joy," the brass-haired woman deadpanned.

Naruto stopped and sighed, crossing his arms as he turned to face her. "Really now, Miss Temari, after complaining so much about not getting to prepare for your finals, you could at least act a little bit grateful that I'm going to let you train in my forest."

Temari felt her heart skip at the unexpected statement. "You're going to let me train? Here?"

"No, not _here_. I won't have you chopping my trees to pieces. Just… come on. You'll see when we get there."

And see she did.

A rare vastness of open space deep within the otherwise claustrophobic forest, it was the perfect place to work on wind techniques without causing mass destruction. Like the open field she had come across the first day they met, strange white flowers dotted the landscape, though in much smaller numbers. Their heavy, eggshell-shaped buds leaned heavily over the glassy surface of a small, turquoise lake, bowed like praying monks.

The sky was visible, unmasked by the verdant-heavy boughs of trees. The yellowing-stalks of grass shone gold under the burning sun. The Demon Prince finally released his hold on her hand and spread his arms in a grand gesture of presentation. His whisker-marred face glowed with pride.

"Isn't it great?" His expression was expectant.

Temari looked around with an indifferent gaze and crossed her arms. "You're just trying to butter me up, aren't you?"

His smile turned toothy. "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar."

She allowed herself to smirk back. "Well keep it up, it's working."

**End Chapter 8**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

She was without her beloved battle fan. But with their training sessions quickly becoming routine, it was hardly a problem. She had no new techniques to perfect, so Temari spent most of her time keeping her skills up to par while the Demon Prince watched.

Once, she asked him to spar with her, but he politely declined without giving any reason as to why. She didn't ask again.

More often than before, he asked her questions. Always she would ask: "Do I get to leave if I answer?" And always he would reply: "Probably not." If she felt like it at the time, she would give him an answer, and other times she just kept on swinging her fan.

It was of little surprise to her that he replied as he did—his questions were nothing remarkable. He never asked about the upcoming invasion, though his eyes glowed with knowing, and never did he ask about her private life. She hadn't quite noticed yet, but she was starting to look forward to their meetings, their long silences, and the Demon Prince's detached yet curious questions.

Naruto, on the other hand, _had_ noticed. '_I don't understand…'_

**You've been alone too long, kit.**

He tore his eyes away from the rabbit in the moon, his awareness shrinking into himself.

'_I'm not alone. I have you, I have Ren and Nichi and all of the other foxes. I am not alone at all.'_

**It is not the same.**

'_The same as what, Father?'_

**You are approaching your 16th summer, my son. You must find a mate by that date**** when you will receive your****_ daikyuu no shippo_****. ****You are of the kitsune, yes, but they are not of you. None of them can be your mate.**

'_I know that.'_

**But you still do not understand.**

'_No.'_

**It will come to you in time. It _must_.** The Kyubi heaved a deep, rumbling sigh. **I have exhausted my consciousness. I bid you goodnight, my son.**

_'Goodnight, Father.'_

Naruto still couldn't understand.

* * *

Temari watched as her youngest sibling finished his meal and left. Kankuro had a puzzled expression on his currently un-painted face, but Temari wasn't so ignorant. Gaara had noticed her nightly escapades and he was starting to pay attention to them.

It wasn't a good revelation.

_"Watch it, Goldilocks."_

His attention made her wary and afraid. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd gotten involved in her business because he didn't approve of something she was doing, missions or morals be damned. This was different though, because they weren't in their home village nor did it _involve_ their home village.

_"I had to pull a lot of strings to get that, be grateful."_

She worried. She worried about how this would affect their mission. She worried about what would happen if her youngest brother came face-to-face with the Demon Prince of Konoha. And she still worried entirely too little.

* * *

_Suikouta tossed Aiko a small bag. _

_"I'll have you know getting into the greenhouses weren't easy," he said, eyes narrowed as she sniffed at the contents, "And I still don't get what you'd need those little flowers for. You making a poison antidote or something?"_

_The redhead stowed the sack in one of her many pockets. "Not your problem, Sui-chan." Her amber eyes turned to Temari's crouched form. "And you?"_

_The blonde teen sighed, standing. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, Aiko. I've got it."_

_"Watch it, Goldilocks. Don't think I'm going to treat you special just because you're the Kazekage's firstborn."_

_Temari handed over a small, silver dagger that had belonged to her grandfather, the Nidaime Kazekage. "Special treatment, from you, Aiko, would be an insult. You have what we want?"_

_The yellow-eyed girl jerked her head to the side. "It's in the Burrow. It wouldn't have been much a problem just bringing Suikouta's thing, but yours would've been too conspicuous."_

_Temari nodded. "Let's go then."_

_The "Burrow" was the name for the catacombs that the members of the Black Scorpion dwelled in. Few people actually lived down in that dark dwelling, and those that did were usually kids that had run away from home or been kicked out. If someone in the village went missing, the chances were high that they could be found in the Burrow, living or otherwise. Sasori of the Red Sand had been one of the more famous members. It was a breeding ground for black trade, mistrust, and violence, especially among the teens, but nevertheless, Temari felt more at home in the Burrow than she ever did up on the surface. Here, she had people who could understand her and who would give a damn if she died. They were closer to being her family than her father and brothers ever were._

_The three presented their tattoos to the entrance guards, as well as relaying the week's password._ _Temari recognized the door-guard as a feminine boy named Jen she used to go to school with. A strip of bloodstained bandages covered his left eye socket. His eye had been gouged out less than a week ago in a brawl with one of the more experienced gang members. He smiled weakly upon seeing her._

_"Hey, Goldilocks. Haven't seen you down here in a while." he said._

_She nodded at him. "__Otou-teme's __been keeping my team rather busy since Gaara graduated and joined up with us. I haven't had a lot of time."_

_ "Well, it's good to have you back."_

_"Oi, Temari!"__ Suikouta's voice interrupted the brief conversation. He now held a worn, blue book in his hand. Aiko, her eyes hard, shoved a large battle-fan into Temari's arms._

_"I had to pull a lot of strings to get that, be grateful."_

_The blonde unfurled the hefty weapon, revealing it's white base and simple purple moons. "Kind of plain isn't it?"_

_"Don't complain!" The other female snapped, crossing her arms. "You don't have time. That Misuzu girl of yours showed up. She's in the Hulls."_

_Temari's eyes widened. "Misuzu?"_

_

* * *

_

Things Gaara got involved in never ended well. This time was bound to be no different. However, this wasn't the Finals and it and the invasion were still a ways off. Casualties outside the exam could not happen until then. Gaara had already pushed his luck by slaughtering Dosu of_Otogakure_.

_"I knew I'd find you here."_

She had to do something to keep Gaara out of confrontation. Excusing herself from the table, Kankuro watched as she retreated to her room. He didn't see her slip silently out her window.

* * *

Temari was not unskilled when it came to covering her tracks. It was just that Gaara was better and it was because he was better that he could find and follow her shallow footprints, the trail of weight-crinkled leaves, the low-branches missing their dew.

**You're getting close, Gaara.**

_'Yes, Mother.'_

His breath trembled as he licked his lips in anticipation. He always looked forward to bloodshed, but this… this was different. His body hummed with strength, senses on high alert. He hadn't even set eyes on his opponent yet, and he was more excited than he could ever remember being. It wasn't some pitiful human that he would be crushing this time. Mother could feel it, he could feel it, and she told him.

**It's another demon.**

His lips curled, teeth bared in a predatory grin.

_'You're no fairy tale, Demon Prince. And you… will make me _truly _alive.'_

**End Chapter 9**


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Naruto was distracted. Temari, in all honesty, was surprised that she had even noticed such a thing. But his eyes were distant, his smiles were small and few, and his tails curled and uncurled in agitation underneath his gold-embroidered blue cloak. He fiddled with her fan, clicking it open and shut in his hands.

"Hey,"

He didn't respond, only proving to Temari how distracted he really was. The fan clicked again. She removed herself from her seated position on the grass and sat down on the tree stump directly in front of him. Still, he did not respond. She frowned and placed her hand firmly over the fan he was flicking.

"Naruto!"

His head snapped up, eyes suddenly boring into hers. She nearly recoiled.

"Miss Temari," he said, blinking, "I apologize. I am…"

"Distracted?" she finished, lips pressed thinly together. "It's very obvious. What's bothering you?"

He glanced away. "Nothing you need to worry about."

Temari narrowed her eyes. "Tell me anyway."

He looked back into her eyes and she could see the gears working in his mind, debating furiously whether to trust her with this quiet burden or not. Finally, he put his elbows on her knees, using her legs like a table.

"Just something Father told me."

Temari kept quiet, instead of pushing him to speak. She removed her hand from its grip on the fan, placing her fingers in his golden locks of hair reassuringly, completely on a whim. The silver circlet glinted, red gem set in it cool to the touch.

"I didn't understand. I _don't_ understand," his expression was odd, "but, I think that it may…Temari-san?" Naruto looked up at Temari, sensing the change.

Her posture was ridged, teal eyes focused intently on something between the trees. In her eyes was something he had not yet truly witnessed—fear.

His hackles rose and he turned to face whatever it was she was looking at. He inhaled deeply and, in one swift movement, stood.

"Show yourself!" He demanded.

Gaara solidified out of the shadows like some nameless phantom, his expression hungry. His sand rustled the leaves from the bushes around him, already free from the gourd that contained it.

Temari hesitantly, shakily, rose to her feet.

"Gaara, listen. I…" her words rose to a sharp shriek as her brother's sand exploded in their direction.

She squeezed her eyes shut, covering her head with her hands. However, she never felt sand graze her body, enveloped instead by something soft and warm. She opened her eyes to Naruto's back, one hand and several tails wrapped around her waist protectively.

"Temari," he spoke softly, "Go to the lake. Take the flower in my sleeve. Nichi will keep you safe. Understand?"

She nodded. Honestly, she hadn't the sense of mind to do anything other than what he asked of her. As wary as she was of the Demon Prince, despite the fact that they could very well be enemies by the time of the Chuunin Exam finals, she feared Gaara much more.

The two demonic males started each other down. Naruto growled, a deep, rumbling noise from the back of his throat, fangs bared to moonlight. "Such offense is redundant here, _Sabaku no Gaara_."

The redhead's eyes glowed. "You are well-informed, Demon Prince of Konohagakure."

"You have dishonorably come into my territory and attempt to attack me. What have you come here for?" Naruto ordered.

Gaara tilted his head to one side. "Why do you exist? What is your reason for living?"

"You have not earned the right to my answer. You will leave now or I will _make_ you."

The Suna-nin grinned. "Just try."

Sand zipped forward once again, golden in color but potent with old blood. Naruto parried the attack with a burst of flame from one tail. Crude glass fell, scorching the earth. The sand slithered back to Gaara's side, and the Demon Prince vanished with it. The redhead's eyes widened when the Prince suddenly appeared in front of him, past his defenses, their faces inches apart. A clawed hand struck the Suna-nin in the chest, sending him flying back and gasping for breath. Sand rose up obediently to catch him as he fell.

Naruto stood up straight, golden tails whipping around him wildly and watching Gaara with frigid eyes. The other Jinchuuriki stood, gasping quietly, eyes glaring fiercely. He threw out a fist and sent a blast of sand toward the Prince. The blonde clapped his hands together and the sand split, ripped apart by a blade of wind.

"You will cease this irrational behavior." Naruto said coldly. He then vanished and reappeared several feet to the right, as another blast of sand shot past him. He sped toward the other Jinchuuriki, zigzagging as he dodged the redhead's attacks. He drew his hand back, chakra gathering into his fingertips and his claws exploded into bright, crackling flames. Naruto thrust his claws forward with a cry, fangs bared.

The sand caught the Prince's hand inches from the redhead's face, the flames flickering out of existence. Gaara's eyes widened before a cruel smirk curled his lips and sand began crawling up the blonde's legs like a parasite. Naruto narrowed his eyes. His form shimmered momentarily before vanishing completely. The sand went limp in shock.

Another attack hit him in the face and he was sent flying once more, three slashes gouging out a good portion of his Sand Armor. He managed to catch himself more quickly this time, and kneeled on a platform of sand hovering several feet in the air. Eyes the color of copper rust glared into chilling blue ones.

"Convinced yet?"

The blonde demon was answered with a blast of sand, which he effortlessly dodged. Naruto set his eyes firmly on the other boy, exhaling loudly through his nose. He crouched, settling on all fours briefly before leaping into the air. He threw his hand out, claws extended, and four blazing blades of wind tore through the sand and Gaara's right leg. The redhead dissolved into sand. Naruto's eyes widened in shock and he barely had time to spin around before he was hit.

"Sand Shuriken!"

He crossed his arms in front of his face as several dozen spinning blades of sand whipped into him, sending the kitsune flying. Shreds of blue and gold material scattered; marred with flecks of blood from wounds that healed almost as quickly as they came.

Saliva flew from Naruto's mouth as he flew back and he ended up doing a complete back flip before landing on all fours, skidding back several feet. He wiped away the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and licked it from the back of his hand, eyeing Gaara with more respect and wariness. The golden fox couldn't deny that he wasn't used to fighting these types of battles. He was far more accustomed to hiding in the foliage and catching the trespasser by surprise, however, that wasn't an option here. Nor was killing the redhead. He slammed one tail into the ground.

Gaara's eyes widened and he was forced to leap away as the ground split from under him, almost like a miniature earthquake. He landed on a tree branch and cried out, grasping his forehead as he felt his _hahaue_ stir angrily. He grunted through the pain and sighed heavily when her overbearing presence dissipated, leaving him to his own devices. He panted, arms hanging by his sides.

"I refuse to continue this battle any further." Naruto stated, lowering his hands. He turned away as his tails ceased their thrashing.

Gaara growled furiously. "Don't turn your back on _me_!"

Naruto spun around as more sand shot toward him, and he held out his palm. The sand crashed into a violet barrier, futilely trying to break through. The grains backed off when it became clear that they could not penetrate the barrier. Gaara dropped from the branch and onto the ground, lips curled in a snarl.

Naruto eyed his Suna counterpart with something akin to sorrow.

"How long do you plan on cowering behind your sand, Gaara?" he asked quietly.

"I am not a coward!" The redhead snarled, sand darting out once more.

The Demon Prince vanished, reappearing beside the redhead and nailed his fist into Gaara's ribcage. The _tanuki-_bearing boy soared away, crashing into open ground. He coughed several times as he pushed himself up, sucking air back into his lungs.

Naruto stood up straight, folding his arms. "You cannot hide from me."

"Who's hiding?" The other male gasped. "You're the one with the cheap disappearing act!"

An earthen fist emerged from the ground, catching the blonde jaw with a crushing upward thrust. His body soared upward in a slow, graceful arc. For a moment, his mind was elsewhere, sky spinning, all sound mute, eyelids fluttering as his brain restarted.

He managed to land lightly, nonetheless fingering his rapidly bruising chin. He took a deep, slow breath to gather his wits about him. Blue eyes snapped open, vertical pupils sharp lines of darkness. He reached Gaara in one bound, forcing the ninja onto his back.

"It's not easy, is it?" the sapphire-eyed demon murmured. "It's just as difficult to truly hate as it is to love."

Gaara's eyes flashed from within their black prison-rings, having the other man off him with a mere thought. "What would you know about it?"

"I know a lot more than you think."

He bared his teeth. "Temari told you."

However, Naruto shook his head. "Temari didn't have to tell me anything. I know you, because we are the same."

"I'm not like you!"

"Aren't you?"

Gaara hesitated then.

"You thought you were the only one. I can't begin to tell you how wrong you are. You aren't the only one who has suffered, who has been treated as a broken tool, who had been betrayed." Naruto dodged a vicious tentacle of sand. "Who broke your heart, Gaara?"

"Shut up!" Gaara screeched. "Shut up! You think you know everything about me, you don't! You don't know _anything_, so _shut_ _up_!" Sand exploded toward the blonde demon…

…and was intercepted by another person entirely.

"Gaara, please stop!" Temari shouted, her arms taking the sharp, weighty blow.

In that moment, Gaara saw someone other than his sister.

"Yashamaru," he wheezed, "You… damn you! I'll kill you! I'll _kill_ you!"

Yet, even as he ravaged the landscape with furiously spinning sand and soul tearing screams, the two had already vanished, leaving nothing but a few golden hairs in their wake.

**End Chapter 10**


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"What was going through your mind?"

"You're angry."

"You bet I'm angry!"

"That doesn't mean you have to shout at me!"

It had been like this since they'd reached Naruto's den. The young auburn-furred kit, Nichi, watched the words bounce back and forth between the two with a mixture of amusement and growing apprehension. Nichi's self-proclaimed big brother had a temper, and the wheat-haired human had no idea just how scary her Onii-sama could be when set off. He was rapidly nearing that point.

"Infuriating man!"

"Stubborn woman!"

"I'm not some pathetic little damsel that needs protecting, you know!"

"That's not the point, Temari!"

"What then? I'm a ninja, a _kunoichi_! I can take care of myself in a fight!"

Naruto grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing himself not to shake her like a doll. "That is, was, not a simple fight between ninja! Mercenaries! Thugs! It's a conflict between _Jinchuuriki_! It's _completely_ different!"

"How? How is it different?" She demanded.

"It's different because it is a fight between _demons_."

She bit back her tongue at that, which was what Naruto had been aiming for. She continued to glare stubbornly at him.

"You're hurting my shoulders."

He let go abruptly, muttering a soft apology under his breath. Turning away, he shuffled through the various holes in the cavern wall for bandages, eventually pulling forth a small roll of cloth not unlike ninja tape.

"Give me your arms," he requested sternly. Temari did so with little reluctance, the sand-crusted gashes on her forearms, causing her to wince. Naruto brought her hands to his face and proceeded to lick one of the wounds on her arm.

"The hell?" Temari exclaimed, pulling her arms back abruptly. "What are you doing?"

Naruto stared back at her with hard eyes, still holding onto one wrist. "Cleaning your wounds."

"With your _mouth_?"

His brows furrowed his puzzlement; he didn't understand, she realized. He wasn't raised as a human, why should he think like one? Foxes, like most other animals, used their tongues to bathe and clean wounds. To the Demon Prince, there was nothing strange or unsanitary about it.

Her lips pressed together and, eyes averted, she gave him back access to her arms, blood blossoming on the apples of her cheeks as she felt his tongue scrape across her skin. It was wet and bizarre, but he was succeeding in getting out the little sand grains embedded in her raw flesh, the blood crusting in all the wrong places for a clean heal. The points of his canines inevitably brushed across her skin, causing her to shiver. She wasn't sure if it was from fear.

Naruto felt her shiver and glanced up at her face. The back of his neck warmed. Ignoring the strange sensation, he focused his attentions on the woman's wounds until he was satisfied that they were clean enough. Fresh blood welled in the gashes and he quickly wrapped the gauze around Temari's arms until blood no longer leaked through, cutting the cloth with the sharp edges of his canines. His mouth tasted of iron.

Temari glanced toward the cavern entrance.

"To tell you the truth, it would be a bad idea for me to go back to the village for a day or so. Gaara is very upset, and that isn't likely to change for a while. However, I don't want to leave Kankuro to take the heat for me." She glanced at the other blonde. "Care to put in any ideas?"

The demonic man adopted a thoughtful expression. Nichi trotted up to his side, yipping as she placed her paws on his shin.

"What is it, imouto?"

_"The tunnels, Onii-sama! The tunnels!"_

His face lit up with a grin. "That's a great idea, little sis!" He said, picking her up. Nichi let loose a rare purr.

Temari, however, couldn't understand the small fox's barks and coughs. "What's a good idea?"

Naruto only smiled knowingly. "You'll see."

* * *

"You're shitting me."

"I assure you, I am not, as you so _delicately_ put it, 'shitting' you."

She bent her knees, gazing into black cavern with wary eyes. "I don't like dark spaces."

It was true.

Despite the Black Scorpion's base being underground, it had not instilled within her a resistance to claustrophobia. Her youngest brother had brought upon her a dislike of the dark and the years had taught her that narrow, dark places only led to dangerous situations, ambushes being among the most common.

"I assure you that the tunnels are quite safe. They were created during the Shodaime Hokage's reign," the Demon Prince explained, "as evacuation routes during invasion. True, they have been forgotten and as such have fallen into great disrepair, but the roots that hold the walls are sturdy."

"So, no one knows these are even here anymore?" She asked, noting the drape-like vines hanging over the hillside opening like ooze.

"That's not entirely true. ANBU occasionally frequent the tunnels to get from one place to another more quickly and inconspicuously, but it's not always efficient, so those times are generally few and far between."

She glanced over at the other blonde. "Running into one of them is going to spell trouble for me, isn't it?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Not as such. There's no law or rule to keep people from using the tunnels. Though I'm sure anyone you come across would be surprised by your presence."

"I get how this is going to keep me off my brother's radar until he calms down, but I don't really see how it _helps_."

He merely smiled at her before exhaling into his hands.

"_Kitsunebi_." He whispered, causing a pale blue flame to burst into life in one hand.

"Come, I'll show you." He looked up. "You're going to have to get off my head now, Nichi-chan." The little red fox barked and leapt off her master's scalp as he ducked his head to enter the tunnel network.

The foxfire cast a haunting blue glow on the walls of the tunnel, shadows growing and flickering like the ghosts of children playing hide-and-seek tag. It was vastly different from the warm golden glow normal fire cast and Temari felt her insides squirm. She wasn't a superstitious person by nature, but the number of people she had witnessed the death of by Gaara's hand had always left her with a lingering unease at the thought of dead spirits.

She knew that he was already aware of where she was staying thanks to his little grey spy, but nonetheless appreciated it when he asked for the sector of the village and street name. The air was sweet with the smell of rot and several of the roots dripped water on her head.

_"I knew I'd find you here."_

It reminded her very much—too much—of a more familiar cavern hundreds of miles away from where she was now.

* * *

_The Hulls were the oldest part of the Burrow, constructed sometime during the Nidaime Kazekage's reign. It consisted of a number of run-down, apartment-like constructs that had fallen into disrepair once an ANBU base was built on the surface above the area. That was not to say that it wasn't inhabited anymore—it had gone from a shining pinnacle of black-market power to a slum. Those that lived in the Hulls were newbies and others who sat at the bottom of the gang hierarchy with no connections to the people that lived above ground—People who wouldn't make noise._

_Temari glanced up at the dark ceiling of the cavern as she walked into it. Unlike most of the Burrow, the top of the rock formation could be seen here and was littered with shards of broken glass, stray coins, and other glittering objects that made the ceiling appear as if it were covered with over-sized stars. Temari herself had never stayed in the Hulls; her position as the daughter of the Kazekage and official ninja of Sunagakure kept her high in the chain, even at the beginning. If someone rubbed her the wrong way, she could immediately turn him or her into the officials above ground, and everybody knew it._

_It was Suikouta who caught a glint of reddish-brown hair on the cavern wall. "Misuzu!"_

_The girl looked down from her perch, her large brown eyes widening at the sight of the golden-haired heiress and her companion._

_"Tema-chan" she murmured, dropping down to the ground and walking up to the other female. "I knew I'd find you around here. I knew… I knew…"_

_After a moment of hesitation, Temari leaned down and embraced her old friend. "Gods, Misuzu, what are you doing, coming to a place like this? This isn't like you. Not at all."_

_"I-I didn't have anywhere else to go…"_

_Temari pulled away, placing her hands on the smaller girl's shoulders. Misuzu's large brown eyes were glazed with tears that seemed to glow orange in the dull lamplight. A dark purple bruise stained her cheek._

_Despite their deep friendship, Temari and Misuzu were almost nothing alike. While Temari was the shinobi daughter of the Kazekage, Misuzu was a typical, middle-class civilian girl with divorced parents and a mother who ran a bakery on the other side of town; Temari wore battle kimonos, Misuzu wore shorts; Temari enjoyed fighting and Misuzu hated the very idea of it. The only things the girls truly agreed on were the joys of botany and the thick-headedness of boys._

_"What happened?" Temari asked firmly._

_Misuzu sobbed, stuttering like a child with a speech disorder. "It… Step-father… I couldn't do it anymore, I wouldn't…"_

_Suikouta growled. "What did that bastard do? Did he touch you, Misuzu?"_

_The girl's silence was answer enough._

_"Fuck!" He shouted, violently kicking over a garbage bin. "That sonuvabitch!"_

_"S-Sui-kun," Misuzu murmured, "Please. It's my fault. If-if I wasn't there, mother… mother…"_

_Temari silenced her friend with a sharp look. "Not another word! Who told you that bullshit?"_

_Misuzu was too upset to answer. An explosion shuddered through the Burrow, quickly followed by screams._

_

* * *

_

A soft, golden tail pulled Temari out of her thoughts by wrapping around her wrist. Nichi yipped and Naruto's eyes were filled with concern.

"_Temari…I think…I hit my head_."

The Demon Prince was halfway down a fork in the tunnels, while she was staring blankly down the other path.

"You don't want to go down that way, Temari. That leads to the sewers."

He wrinkled her nose. "Yeah… sorry, Naruto."

If she was surprised that he didn't relinquish his hold on her once she was by his side again, she didn't show it.

His face lit up with a smile. "You know that's the first time you've called me by my name since you first asked for it?"

She blinked at him and slowly grinned back. "Wrong. It's the second."

They walked for a while more, the tunnels twisting and forking off like blood-dry arteries. Naruto finally brought them to a stop under a rain-drainage grate, stomping out the flame in his hand by making a fist. Early sunlight filtered in from between the bars across his face as he reached up to push the grill aside. Smiling at her, he bent his knees and fisted his hands together.

"Well, up you go, Temari."

"You're not coming?" she asked, surprised.

He shook his golden-haired head. "A shinobi village is no place for a person like me. If you ever need a quick getaway, don't hesitate use these passageways. Any ANBU that have a problem with it, direct them to me."

She smirked, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Will do, Naruto." Placing one foot solidly on his fisted hands, he heaved her upward and out of the passageway into the awakening village above. Temari landed gracefully, half-knelt against the cobblestone alleyway, and glanced back down.

"I almost forgot one thing," she said, reaching into her kimono before extending her arm down to the Demon Prince, "Your flower."

His strange blue eyes stared at the blossom for a moment before rising to settle on her face. "Temari, I have a question."

She chuckled. "If I answer, will I get to leave?"

"Yes."

She froze in shock, expression growing serious as she stared down at him. "What is it?" She said quietly.

"Will you be my friend?"

She blinked, silent for several moments. "Tha—that's your question? You don't want to know… the details of the invasion? Suna's structural layout? Who's invading? _Nothing_?"

"It's not nothing!" He protested.

Temari frowned, extending the flower further. "Go on, take the flower!"

"You keep it!" He insisted. "Just answer!"

"_Baka_," she muttered back, retracting her arm. She slid the grate back over the opening, sealing it.

"Hey!"

"I'll see you later tonight, Naruto!" She vanished from his sight then, footsteps echoing down to his ears. He could hear morning birds chirping to the rising sun long after she was out of his range of hearing.

Nichi brushed against his leg._ "Silly, Onii-sama, asking questions you already know the answer to!"_

**End Chapter 11**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Oi, Temari! What happened to your arms?"

The pony-tailed woman looked up from the dishes she was cleaning. She was having a difficult time keeping the suds below her wrists. Kankuro was eyeing her expectantly.

"Training accident." She replied simply.

His gaze remained fairly suspicious. "Hell of an accident."

She shrugged. "It's my own fault. Don't worry, they'll be healed up in time for this weekend."

It was true, despite the fact that they should have been healing much slower than they were. She wondered if Naruto's "method" of cleaning the wounds had something to do with it.

Kankuro grunted. "Good. I wouldn't want to have to fight for two people."

It was phrased like an insult, yet Temari's heart warmed. No one in their family was much good at voicing their affection, but they nonetheless had their ways.

She opened her mouth for a snappy comeback, but shopped short at the sound of a door sliding open. Her instincts immediately went on the defensive, afraid that it was her youngest sibling, but her fears were unfounded—it was Baki.

The older man's eyes immediately sough the two siblings out; his face was grim. "Do either of you know what is going on with Gaara? He's very agitated. I'm concerned he may put the mission in jeopardy."

Kankuro stood at attention. "Gaara? I have no idea. I haven't seen him since yesterday morning."

Temari's soapy hands delicately touched the bandages covering her arms. Her movement did not go unnoticed. Kankuro whirled on her. "I knew it! Training accident, my ass! Temari, what did you do?"

"Don't spit at me, you brat!" she snapped. "It's none of you're business!"

"On the contrary," Baki interrupted, "It is very much our business. I will not let some hissy fit jeopardize our mission, Temari."

She ground her teeth together. She had been hoping to avoid confrontation. "I'll take care of it, then."

"Temari," the man growled.

She threw her hands in the air. "I said that I'll take care of it! I will! I'll talk to Gaara and get him to cool down! I swear!"

Baki's eye was hard. "You'd better."

* * *

"Liar," Gaara muttered, listening to his teammates conversation through a window. _'Training accident, indeed. Liar.'_

**You can't trust a word that comes out of her mouth, Gaara.**

_'You're right, Mother. Not one word.'_

He watched as she set out to find him with no small amount of reluctance, unaware that he sat hunched on the roof just above her head. Gaara couldn't say he was eager to confront her either. Unless such a confrontation had the possible outcome of her becoming a mass of bloody meat, which he knew, was not currently a practical option.

Mouth set in a spiteful smirk he let a margin of sand lead his sister on a wild goose chase across the village. However, with the severe lack of blood spouting from the source of his entertainment, it didn't take long before he grew bored and allowed her sweaty, irritated form come back to very place she'd started. Her eyebrow twitched as Temari resisted the desire to glare at him. He'd killed men for less.

"You're in a right foul mood, and I'm not going to ask or try to understand why," she began, "But, we need you to keep your temper in check for juts a while longer, Gaara."

"Don't tell me what to do."

She frowned then, taking a step toward him.

"I can tell you whatever I want, you know as well as anyone that you don't have to do any of it. Not that you ever have." He glanced over at her. "You're not stupid enough to go after him before the weekend, so don't let your superiority complex make you _do_ anything stupid. We've risked too much to let these plans go to hell now."

"I don't care about anyone's damn plans."

Temari knew she wasn't getting through to him. Gaara was far too stubborn and her anger was not going to give her the least bit of leverage. Her eyes stung with bitterness, fingers clenching.

"You could at least _try_ to act civil until the invasion!"

He stood, eyes cold. "Shut up, before I kill you."

She ground her teeth. "You-!"

A tentacle of sand wrapped around her neck, choking her. She gagged and clawed helplessly at it as her youngest brother stared down at her with cold, unfeeling eyes.

"_Temari. You can't help me."_

His eyes reminded her of things she wanted to forget. The weight and pressure of the sand forced her to collapse to her knees, coughing.

* * *

_Misuzu clutched at her bleeding skull, busted open by a fallen shard of glass. Suikouta held her by the shoulders while Temari unfurled her old fan—two blue stars on a background that faded from yellow to red. She could hear screams._

_"Wh-what was that?" Misuzu asked._

_It was Suikouta who answered. "I'd say either the ANBU found us, or someone seriously pissed off one of the higher-ups. What do you say, Goldilocks?"_

_Her eyes narrowed. "The only ones who've got explosives like that are Asakura's group. Sui, carry Misuzu. I might have to fight to get us out of here."_

_Her heels clicked noisily on stone as they ran, Temari flicking her fan toward anyone who came too close. The Burrow was in chaos_; _broken debris lay scattered across the roadways, and brawls around every corner. Fights done with fists and knives and shuriken, but none of it had any direction. Everyone was fighting blindly, the air heavy with the smell of confusion and fear, instinct identifying everyone to be an enemy. Then, the worst possible thing happened—Suikouta stumbled._

_Misuzu's extra weight threw him off balance and he went crashing to his knees. Temari had already gone half a dozen yards before she realized he was no longer on her heels. The distance was enough to give a confused young man the chance to attack, eyes sparkling with terror as he brought his wakizashi down in what he felt was self-defense. Misuzu screamed as the blade went through her shoulder and into Suikouta's back. Hot blood spurted darkly into the air as the auburn-haired girl rolled to the ground._

_"Temari!" Suikouta cried._

_She was already by his side, slamming the handle of her fan into the attacking teen's temple. He crumpled like a puppet with cut strings, his head hitting a stray stone at a bad angle. His body shook with spasms briefly and fell still. Another explosion shook the Burrow, the rumbling causing Misuzu to moan. She was losing blood fast._

_A stray kunai tore through Temari's fan, tearing the paper to shreds. She dropped the now-useless weapon, pulling her childhood friend's bloody form onto her back as she knelt by Suikouta's side. Blood coated his lips. He coughed raggedly, breath bubbly._

_"Sui! Get up! I can't carry you and Misuzu both!" The blonde shouted over the din. "Please! We'll get to the surface and go straight to the hospital!"_

_Misuzu moaned pitifully. "Hit my head… Tema-chan, my head hurts. I think I bumped it on something…"_

_The young man didn't seem to hear her, staring absently at the blood-heavy saliva coating his fingertips. "He got my lung…"_

_"Suikouta!"_

_He looked at her then and she stiffened at the expression glinting in his eyes._

_"Get to the surface, Temari. Misuzu's new enough she won't be tattooed. You know what will happen if you turn me into the hospital."_

_Her eyes burned. "I won't leave you here to die!"_

_He growled, grabbed the collar of her kimono and kissed her savagely. Tears finally fell. Her mouth flooded with the tang of iron._

_"Go, Goldilocks. You can't help me this time."_

_"Sui…"_

_"GO!" He roared._

_She bolted, running like a frightened animal. Misuzu's whimpering cries fell on deaf ears as Temari ran, her mind a haze, her mind functioning on pure instinct. She dodged and avoided every person, projectile, and obstacle without even consciously recognizing the threats. Her back was warm and sticky. She didn't notice her friend's breathing slowly come to a halt._

_

* * *

_

Gaara knelt down to her, crooning softly in her ear. "You and Kankuro and Baki—you're my property. I may not see you as my relatives, but you're _mine_. And no one, not even a prince among demons, is allowed to touch what belongs to me."

_"Where do you think you've been?"_

Temari's palms dug into the tiles, tears falling freely from her eyes.

"I… hate you," she whispered, "Sometimes, I really… hate you, Gaara. I do."

_"You know what will happen."_

She could hear the sneer in his voice. "Just hold onto that feeling, Temari. You'll live."

* * *

That night, an omen of bad luck, it rained.

Temari stared out over the rooftops forlornly, fat droplets of icy rain plastering her sandy locks to her skin. She sat cross-legged on the edge of the building, hands clutching her elbows.

"You'll catch cold sitting out here in the rain like that."

Temari turned around to face the owner of the voice, seeing her paint-faced brother walking toward her with a blanket in hand.

"Kankuro…"

"Rain here isn't the same as it is back home. What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down behind her and wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, along with his arms.

She lowered her eyes. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Mm," he grunted, resting his chin on her shoulder. Neither seemed to care that his face paint was dripping down his cheeks and onto her clothes. "Does it have anything to do with the invasion? Or is it Gaara?"

"Both, I guess."

He sighed. "Temari…"

"It shouldn't have to be like this!" She said harshly, cutting him off. "We just got over a war, we shouldn't be trying to start a new one! We strived so long for peace and just when things start looking better it's all shattered just because of Otou-sama's stupid greed! It's ruining everything!"

Kankuro pulled his head away, frowning. "There's more to it than that, Temari, and you know it. The daimyo…"

"Who cares about the damn daimyo?" She snapped, whirling around to face him and Kankuro drew back in shock at her fierce expression combined with the rain running down her cheeks in place of tears.

"The daimyo is a self-centered, fat, bastard who could care less about any military forces, much less our own. Our village could stand without his money if Otou-sama bothered to be more concerned about politics! It's his fault, all his fault that Gaara…."

Her shoulders shook slightly from both anger and cold as she spoke, her teeth grinding together tightly. Kankuro sighed and hugged his older sister with strong, firm arms.

"I know, and it sucks. But we're Suna shinobi, it's our job. We have pride to uphold. I don't like it either, Temari, but no one ever said we had to like our job. Although I won't mind knocking some of those more arrogant Leaf's their pedestal."

She rolled her eyes. "Your pride borders on arrogance, you know that?"

"Hey, it's different when you have the skills to back it up."

The blonde couldn't help but let loose a chuckle at the statement and Kankuro pulled away with a smile.

"That's better. I was starting to worry about you." He said, swiping her wet bangs out of her face.

She pushed him playfully. "Hey, I'm the big sister; worrying is my job."

He grinned, glad to see her looking a bit more cheerful. "Stir fry takeout tonight?"

She brightened a little and nodded. "Extra chestnuts."

He squeezed her lightly and kissed her forehead. "Love ya, big sis."

Her smile widened. "Thanks, Kankuro. Love you, too."

**End Chapter 12**


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

In order to begin unraveling the puzzle that was the Demon Prince, a person had to understand two things:

One, Naruto was not a hanyou in any way, shape, or form, or any variation thereof.

Two, he did not possess any sort of chakra cloak that changed his outward appearance like Gaara's sand did when Ichibi was taking over.

Temari knew this due to two factors: the Library she had found after the Forest of Death, and growing up with a Jinchuuriki for a brother.

Such experiences had instilled her with a sort of instinctual knowledge and understanding of Jinchuuriki, to a certain degree at least. Though she could not connect to such people on a level as deep as the demons within, she understood more than most did. However, as a ninja, she knew all too well that knowing something did not mean it prepared you for the experience.

The Ichibi itself was something out of her worst nightmares. Naruto was a Hachibi; she could hardly fathom that in her mind.

She found him by the lakeside, having followed the musical sounds produced by a blade of grass held between the thumbs. Nichi bounded up to her, leaping into her arms with a happy cough. The blade of grass fell from Naruto's fingertips; it's flash of green as fleeting as the stars twinkle.

She stared at his back. "Are you angry with me?"

He glanced at her from over his shoulder, his profile dark in shadow of the moon. His eyes glowed with an eerie blueness.

"No. I am not angry."

She wasn't surprised to be the first one to break eye contact. She stared up at the heavens, stroking Nichi's ears absently.

"The invasion… it's tomorrow."

"_Aa_,"

"What will you do?"

He pushed himself to his feet, a sigh lacing his words. "What I've always done."

His presence drew her eyes back down to him. His tails curled about his ankles restlessly, reaching out to caress her calves like the arms of a curious octopus.

"But what about you?"

It seemed as if he towered above her. She searched his face for something she didn't know the name to.

"I don't know," she breathed, "I didn't like it in the beginning, but at least then I was sure; but now…" she shook her head minutely, "I'm not sure of anything anymore."

"Temari," he began, running a hand through his wild mane, "I can't tell you what you should or shouldn't do. I only know things from my view. I don't know the motivation behind this attack on Konoha and, honestly, if the village were outside my territory I wouldn't lift a tail to help it. When the time comes, however, I pray you do not have to fight me."

She let Nichi fall to the ground, lifting her arms to wrap her arms around the Demon Prince's shoulders. Naruto's breath caught in surprise, but his eyes quickly softened and he slipped his rams about her waist, returning the embrace. Her hair tickled his chin and he buried his nose in brass locks.

"You asked me to be your friend," Temari spoke softly. He opened his eyes, glancing at the top of her head. "You want to know why it was a stupid question?"

Her breath was warm on his neck.

"I'm already your friend, Naruto."

His lips curled into a smile, his chest rumbling with a chuckle. He moved his hands to her shoulders and pulled out of the embrace. Her eyes were fixated on the ground, looking forlorn. He lifted a claw to her chin, tilting her head up to meet his eyes. His mouth was quirked in an odd little half smile.

"Goodnight, Temari," he whispered, leaning down to place a small kiss on her cheek. She blushed all the way to the tips of her ears and he vanished into the night, leaving her to touch her face with hesitant fingers and frozen thoughts.

* * *

Kankuro sat on the floor, tightening bolts and hinges and screws on his ever-reliable puppet, Karasu. A marionette designed, crafted, and once used by the infamous Sasori of the Red Sand. The middle sibling couldn't help but admire the missing-nin. The man had been a genius and, if he was still alive out there somewhere, was surely more brilliant than ever. Not that he'd ever want to meet the man.

Back in Suna he had two more of Sasori's old puppets, both worn and broken and in need of Kankuro's touch to repair them into their old selves. His fingers were restless for them—all Karasu needed was a final touch up to make sure it was in top condition for tomorrow, it didn't require too much of his attention. Truthfully, he couldn't wait to get back to Sunagakure and lock himself in his workroom for at least two days.

But all of this was irrelevant as to why he was awake so close to midnight. Gaara wasn't the only one who had noticed Temari's semi-unusual behavior. If they were still in their home village, he wouldn't think much of it, but there was no Black Scorpion gang in Konoha, so her nightly disappearances were a cause for concern. He dearly hoped she wasn't betraying them to the enemy, however out of character it would be.

He was about to forget about it and go to bed when she walked in, her expression thoughtful. She suppressed a yawn.

"Kankuro? What are you still doing up?"

"Waiting for you."

"You didn't have to do that. You need to rest for tomorrow. We all do." She said, making her way to her room.

"Temari," Kankuro stood, "I need to know that you're still with us."

Her hand paused on the doorframe. Silence hung between them for several uneasy moments before she sighed.

"I don't know what you want me to tell you, Kankuro."

"Why?" He pleaded. "I don't understand!"

She turned to face him, but did not meet his eyes. "I can't say I do either."

His face contorted with frustration. "How could you? To your own village!"

"Don't think me so petty!" She snapped. "I'm not so lowly as that! I haven't sold Suna out! I just…" her voice quieted, "I can't be a part of this. I won't do anything to prevent it, and I won't get in the way, but I just can't be another tool in this invasion."

Kankuro slumped his shoulders in defeat. "I'm not going to be able to expect any more of you, am I?"

"I'm sorry, Kankuro."

He pulled the cowl off his head and scratched his crown. "Don't be. I understand. It'll probably be best that we don't tell Baki about this." His sister nodded solemnly. He rolled his wrist, beckoning her to him.

"Come on, at least have some tea before bed."

Temari followed, trying not to think about the disaster that lay just ahead.

**End Chapter 13**


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The stands of the Chuunin Exam Finals were full of people. Temari narrowed her eyes at the noise from her position in the competitors viewing box, glancing down the steep walls into the arena. The layout reminded her—somewhat sickeningly—of the way bored shinobi would sometimes force a pair of scorpions to fight to the death in the bottom of a bucket. Her eyes traveled to the two Kages sitting leisurely on their balcony.

_'Yes, just like that. As if we're insects and they the entertained children pulling our legs off.'_

She paid almost no attention to the fights going on below her, watching the stands with a sharp eye. The outcome of the match between the Hyuuga and the Inuzuka was far too predictable. The Uchiha had yet to show up for his match with Gaara, and until he did the invasion could not begin without some major alterations to the plan. Not that anything would go according to plan anyway, she thought to herself, the Demon Prince was sure to cause mass havoc amongst the invading force waiting to penetrate Konoha's walls.

Temari couldn't stop herself from scowling when Kankuro forfeited. Sending her brother a huff of irritation, she unfurled her fan, creating a cushion of wind to float down on. She landed with a light tap. The smell of dust and the anticipation for a fight, brought a smirk to her features. As much as she despised the idea of war, she could never turn down a good fight.

"Aww, forget it, I forfeit too!"

The crowd roared in disapproval and Temari's face crumpled into an expression of fury.

"Like hell you will! Get your ass down here and fight me, you lazy bastard!"

"Damn brats, honestly!" The proctor, Genma, sighed. "Winner: Temari! Aburame Shino, get down here!"

Temari ground her teeth together, her knuckles white as she gripped her battle-fan. The playful want for battle was gone. Now she just wanted to kill something, and an Aburame was not going to be an easy opponent to outmaneuver. The high-collar wearing genin wasted no time in making his way to the arena, the soft sound of his insects buzzing reaching her ears despite the noisy audience.

"You as annoyed I am?" She queried, though not honestly interested in his internal musings. Indeed her opponent didn't appear interested either, his only response the adjustment of his sunglasses.

"Begin!" The proctor announced, before vanishing out of harm's way in a puff of smoke.

For several moments, neither shinobi moved, both analyzing the other warily. Temari's muscles bulged with tension, while Shino kept up a calm façade. It was the Suna kunoichi who made the first move, swinging a gust forward and forcing the tall teen to leap out of harm's way. She wasn't worried, as long as she could keep the bug-using nin at a distance he shouldn't be able to reach her, however, she had a hunch that beating the man would be as difficult as crushing a roach.

_'I just have to get one good hit on him,'_ She thought. _'H__e's not so stupid that he'd keep fighting if he needs medical attention.'_

Black spots began crawling over the teen's coat, the beetles buzzing as they crawled out of his body to fight. Temari found herself raising an eyebrow when the other ninja threw a handful of shuriken at her. It was simple to create a small gust to keep them from hitting her, embedding their blades harmlessly in the dirt.

"That sort of thing isn't going to work on me, you know! Didn't you learn anything during the prelims?" She shouted, heaving a gust in his direction. Unsurprisingly, he dodged, a few bugs whirling confusedly where he no longer stood.

The Konoha-nin threw several more shuriken, and Temari blocked them by throwing a few kunai of her own. The brief clash of metal on metal drew sparks. Both ninja kept their distance, sizing each other up. The brunette took the chance to create several standard bushin, quickly moving the illusions into place to surround her. Temari failed to hold back a smirk as they all ran toward her, dispelling them all with a weak whirlwind and sending the real Aburame on retreat. Neither shinobi was even playing around—they were still simply testing one another's defenses.

She felt something tickle her legs and spared a glance down, eyes widening in surprise. The man had somehow managed to get her bugged! The little black beetles stuck to her calves, slowly sucking out the chakra seeping from her tenketsu. There were only a few of the insects, hardly effective at putting a damper on her chakra reserves on their own, but they were still there, and he had not yet even laid a finger on her!

Her eyes darted to the shuriken embedded in the soil, and suddenly it all came together. He hid his bugs in the holes of the throwing-stars! It was ingenious really, once the weapons were deflected from their course, she had discarded them as a potential threat, but having his insects stick to the shuriken and burrow their way to her unnoticed… '_This might actually be fun!'_ She thought gleefully.

Temari narrowed her eyes; despite the Aburame's success at bugging her so far, at this rate the battle would be going nowhere fast. At the very least, she wanted to work up a decent sweat. With that thought in mind she charged her opponent. Shino lifted a kunai in defense, but his arm crumpled under the blunt weight of the battle-fan; he retaliated by loosing a swarm of bugs as he leapt back into the trees.

"Damn!" Temari cursed, jumping out of the swarm. The insects followed, gluing themselves to her arms, legs, and hair by the hundreds as she flew up into the sky with her fan. She had risen a good three hundred yards before allowing herself to dive back down to the arena. Her eyes watered as the wind whipped at her face, dislodging the sticky insects. It was a suicide move unless timed perfectly. The crowd gasped collectively in horror as she neared the ground, headfirst.

She felt the last Kikaichu dislodge from her ankle and, with a strained cry, forced her fan in front of her. A large cloud of dust and debris plumed, and someone in the audience screamed.

Shino, on the other hand, allowed a miniscule smirk to cross his lips.

"Brilliant," he commented, "Using the wind to cushion you from your fall. You are immensely skilled."

The settling dust dispersed in a whirlwind, revealing Temari's unscathed form.

"Not bad yourself! That's only the second time I've ever had to use that technique." She retorted. "But don't think I'm out of the game _yet_!"

She shouted the last word, swinging her fan once again toward her opponent. Shino leapt up, but found himself unprepared for his own shuriken slamming into his arms.

He landed in a crouch, bleeding as the Kikaichu pushed the weapons out of his flesh. "Chakra strings?"

The blonde smirked. "You don't grow up among puppet-users without picking up a few things!" She said, fingertips faintly glowing.

Several more shuriken and kunai lifted into the air, seeming to float weightlessly before zooming forward. Shino dissolved into a mass of insects as the projectiles pierced his torso. Frowning, she dropped the cluster of kunai and shuriken, readying her fan for attack at a moment's notice. But the air was undisturbed.

Without another second's hesitance, she jumped, manipulating the wind to propel her as high up as necessary. Shino exploded out of the ground, his sneak attack rendered useless. Twisting her body with a graceful back flip, Temari landed in a crouch, fan splayed parallel to the ground. The two warriors stared each other down once again, legs tensed to dart into action once again. However, a leafy whirlwind materialized in the middle of the arena before either shinobi could make his or her next move.

Shino's eyebrow developed a violent twitch.

Temari was contemplating murder.

Kakashi gave a little wave. "Are we late?"

"You sonuvabitch!" Temari exclaimed. Both Hatake and Uchiha found themselves having to leap apart to avoid being clubbed with a certain Sand kunoichi's fan. "We're in the middle of a battle here! You—"

The blonde was cut off when the referee materialized in front of her, looking equally unhappy.

"As a matter of fact, Hatake, yes, you are both very late. We were going to extend your time since so many people here want to see the Uchiha, but the two of you have directly violated the laws of the exam. I'm afraid I have to disqualify Uchiha Sasuke for disorderly conduct!" Genma didn't look the least bit sorry. Temari smirked, crowing out a mocking laugh while the crowds hissed and booed their disapproval.

The Suna kunoichi chanced a glance at the Kage's viewing platform. The original signal for the invasion plan was shot to hell; what did her fool of a father plan to do now?

As it turned out, she needn't wonder for very long, as an earth-shaking rumble sounded throughout the village, quickly followed by screams and the cries of jutsu. She watched raptly as an ANBU whispered materialized and whispered in the Hokage's ear. In the stands, she noted, the hidden Suna and Oto shinobi looked just as confused as anyone else. The Hokage stood in a great flourish, holding his hands out to hail the populace's attention like some revered priest.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Please evacuate the stands immediately and make your way to the safe houses! The Chuunin Exams are henceforth cancelled! Konohagakure is under att—!"

The announcement was left unfinished as the Kazekage moved to attack his Fire Country counterpart. The viewers in the stands panicked as Sand and Sound ninja discarded their disguises. She witnessed the first blood drawn—a man in the audience, too far away to discern his face, caught by a jutsu that tore into his chest and continued it's destructive path even as it ripped out his backside. With none of the civilians under a sleeping genjutsu as originally planned, this battle was likely to turn out twice as bloody.

Temari turned her attention to the several Leaf shinobi still in the arena with her. She placed her fan on the ground in a sign of surrender. The four males acknowledged her effort and she suddenly found Shino guarding her back.

"If you're not against us, are you with us?" He asked, kunai held at the ready.

Temari debated for a split moment if it would be a good idea to draw her own weapon, pulling out several shuriken as she concluded it was unwise to be without defense in the middle of battle.

"Only in so many words," she replied, "Just don't ask me to go against my brothers." She blocked a stray kunai.

She felt the male's back press against her and reacted instinctively, switching their positions. A swarm of insects burst forth from Shino's palm, the Kikaichu quickly spreading to seek out comrades. "In that case I suggest you get out of the village as quickly as possible. The longer you are within the city walls the more likely you are to be mistaken for an enemy and attacked by someone of Konoha. Anything you can do to disrupt the invading forces on your way out will be of great assistance to us."

"I don't think the shinobi outside the walls are going to be much of a problem! That's already covered!" Temari said back, lashing out at a Sound-nin with a weak wind-jutsu—without her fan her offensive strength was greatly diminished.

She caught Shino's eye over her shoulder and had the sense that he was frowning.

"By whom?"

* * *

Naruto had never been fond of snakes. Kyubi had never been fond of them either and he absently wondered if was some ingrained influence of his foster-father that he so despised serpents. Dealing with common snakes—native and not native to the area—flocking to his territory for the better part of a month was bad enough, but having to stare down a 150 foot summon _really_ took the cake.

At least the two-headed monster wasn't so stupid as to think the Demon Prince of Konoha wasn't a threat—oh, no, it could certainly sense _that _much—but he was becoming increasingly agitated that what the beast lacked in intelligence it made up for with sheer size and brute strength. Not that Naruto was without inhuman strength himself—sending his animal opponent crashing through Konoha's outer wall was proof of that, however unplanned—but he was no ninja and battling a creature larger than most buildings could hardly be called even ground.

_'And I've no animal form until the ninth tail is received,'_ he thought sourly, dodging a swipe of the serpent's tail. His whiskers stood on end, alerting him to even the slightest change in the air around him. Teeth bared, he turned to the gaping Konoha-nin hiding in the trees. "You know, the least you shinobi could do is make yourselves useful out here!" He snarled.

Apparently snapped out of their awed-stupor, several jutsu blasted out from the trees, crashing into the snake's scaly body. The Demon Prince's fingertips glowed dully, his claws growing and hardening into a set of deadly talons. He wasted no time taking advantage of the great serpent's distraction, leaping into the air and latching onto the monster's body, nails puncturing the dinner-plate-sized scales as he climbed up its spine to its left head. Unfortunately, the right head spotted the golden-haired demon and lunged for him. Naruto did the only thing he could do to prevent falling off—he dug his fingers straight into the oncoming head's eyeball and held on tight.

The beast let out a horrible shriek, flailing violently as the sensation of pain reached its brain. Ocular fluid and blood dripped down the Demon Prince's arm as he swung himself to the top of the head and used the momentum of the thrashing to drive his hand into the other eye. It wailed again, this time crashing to the forest floor, forcefully knocking him off.

It was an easy feat for Naruto to break his fall, speeding through the air gracefully and using his many tails to catch himself in the uppermost boughs of a tree. He planted his feet solidly on the trunk, nails digging into the branches. He had hoped that the damage done thus far would be enough to coax the summoned beast into dispersing, but as the uninjured head swung its enormous cranium around, it seemed that it would not be so.

"You! With the green bear mask!" Naruto barked. Said ANBU glanced up at him in surprise. "I need some of your kunai!"

"O-okay!" The man said, throwing several of the weapons up to the demon. "You're on our side?"

Naruto scowled down at the human, small fan snapping open in his hand.

"I live here too, don't I? Try to keep it occupied for me!" he exclaimed, pushing off the tree and leaping back into action. Working fast, he placed one of the kunai between the folds of the fan and narrowing his eyes to take aim. _Three kunai, three shots._

One of the ninja had managed to get himself onto the snake's body and blew a stream of fire up at the uninjured head. Hissing furiously, the beast turned to focus on the pint-sized human. Naruto swung the fan and let the kunai fly, propelled forward by wind. The blades—metal and wind alike—struck true, burrowing deep into the serpent's pupil. Again the great summon shrieked in agony, thrashing as its sight was diminished further. The blind head tasted the air with its tongue, hissing ferally as it's nose swiveled to focus on the hidden Demon Prince as the left head continued to focus on the ninja. The sightless head slithered toward Naruto, splitting off from the main body.

Naruto swore under his breath and leapt away as the beast lunged, turning the ancient tree he had been perched on to little more than splinters. Its thick, purple tongue flicked about wildly, sniffing him out.

The blonde demon ground his teeth together and slipped the second kunai into the fan. However, the snake wasn't giving him the chance to make his attack, lunging after him with single-minded determination, forcing him into a retreat. Whatever openings there were in the summon's pursuit, Naruto didn't have the time to take advantage of. He flitted through the trees as if he were the wind itself. He let the second kunai fly, hoping for a lucky shot, but missed.

There was an explosion and suddenly a giant foot crunched down into the snake's head, immediately forcing it to vanish in a thick haze of smoke.

Naruto skidded to a stop, the smell of amphibian overpowering his nose. He leapt back, landing on the dirt by the new summon's foreleg. He looked up, neck arching.

"Hey! You up there! Just whose battle do you think you're fighting?"

The toad fixed one enormous golden eye on him, a man with shaggy white hair popping into view soon after.

"I am fighting Konoha's battle!" He leapt off the great amphibian, landing in a deep crouch. "I should be the one asking whose battle—holy shit, you're that guy!"

Naruto quirked an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "'That guy'?" he repeated.

"Yeah! You're the Demon Prince! You're supposed to be a myth!" the toad-summoner exclaimed.

The fox-demon suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Sorry to disappoint. Now, if you'll excuse me," he made an exaggerated show of bowing, flourishing his rapidly tattering cloak behind him, "There are still a great many invaders to get rid of and I do not wish to waste time conversing. _Sayonara_!"

He leapt away, his form quickly swallowed by green foliage.

* * *

Konohamaru suppressed the urge to voice his discomfort as his two best friends held onto the scarf wrapped around his neck. The three of them had already gotten separated once in the chaos of Konoha's streets; they didn't want to lose sight of each other again. The three children tucked themselves behind a garbage can as more experienced ninja ran through the cobblestone streets. He glanced back at his friends. Moegi was biting her lip worriedly while Udon's nose was running more than usual as tears streamed from his eyes.

"We sure chose the wrong day to play hooky, guys," he muttered.

"Understatement of the _year_!" Moegi shouted.

Konohamaru slapped a hand over her mouth, effectively shutting her up and making her even more irritated. "Quiet! Do you want the enemy to find us?"

Moegi wilted at that, shoving the boy's hand away. Konohamaru focused back on the street, waiting for it to empty.

"We have to get out to the forest…" he muttered.

His friends started at that.

"The forest-!" Udon began fearfully.

"Are you crazy?" the female of the group hissed, "That's forbidden! Do you _want_ to be eaten by the Demon Prince?"

"You actually believe that crap?" Konohamaru retorted, making them flinch. "It's that or the invading ninja!" He glanced at the street. It was clear.

"Now! Hurry!"

The grandson of the Hokage darted into the open, his friends following somewhat hesitantly. He dug his fingers into the earth, dragging up the lid of the manhole. The hole seemed a void.

"Get in!"

Udon jumped down into the darkness.

Moegi turned a bit green, hesitating. "But, Konohamaru-kun, that-!"

"I said get down!" the boy exclaimed, pushing her into the hole. She vanished with a small shriek, falling into her other teammate's waiting arms. Konohamaru knelt, preparing to jump down into the manhole, when a grey figure caught his eye. He whipped around, eyes wide.

"Tsutsuma-kun!" He exclaimed, embracing the fox tightly as it jumped to place its forepaws in his chest. The three-tailed kitsune licked the boy's cheek and coughed. Konohamaru's stomach dropped to his knees, the blood draining from his face. "A-are you sure?"

Tsutsuma coughed again.

"Konohamaru-kun?" Moegi called from below. "What's going on up there? What is it?"

The brunette boy bit his lip, shifting his eyes from the hole in the middle of the street to his fox friend and back again. He swallowed thickly and stared down the hole toward the other boy and girl. "Follow the tunnel to your right and whenever you come to a fork, continue taking the right path. Move as fast as you can!"

Udon's eyes widened. "But, Konohamaru-kun…"

"You're coming with us, right?" Moegi interrupted, her eyes filling with tears, "Right!"

He grabbed a hold of the lid again, pulling it back over the opening. "Sorry guys! I have to help grandpa! You guys get to the forest and stay safe!" The lid closed, the sound echoing like a death toll. "Let's go Tsutsuma-kun." His sandals tapped noisily on the stone as he ran away and Moegi began crying in earnest.

"Konohamaru-kun!" She sobbed even as Udon took her hand and pulled her deeper into the sewage pipe, "Konohamaru-kun! _Konohamaru-kuuuuun_!"

* * *

_'And I thought the plan was screwed before. Nope, now it's _really_ all blown to hell.'_ Kankuro thought sourly. He should have seen it coming, honestly, since when did Gaara ever do anything other than what suited his desires? And right now Gaara was intent on following Temari for a reason Kankuro couldn't even begin to imagine.

"Come on, Gaara! We can find Temari later! What about the plan?" The paint-faced man pressed.

"I don't care about that."

"So we're just going to leave the other Suna shinobi out to dry? This plan can't fall through without you!"

"Shut up." The redhead snarled. "Let them rot. I have to kill him."

The puppet-wielder was caught by surprise. "'Him'? 'Him' who?"

Gaara didn't even spare him a glance. "The Demon Prince."

Kankuro chuckled nervously, beads of sweat forming on his brow. "Gaara, you know that guy's not real? He's just a legend."

"Not so, he's the one Temari has been slinking off to meet." The Jinchuuriki's voice was thick with disgust He glanced over his shoulder and Kankuro felt his stomach flip in terror at the look in the redhead's eye.

"Now shut up and do as I tell you or I'll give your blood to mother!"

Kankuro could do nothing else but follow.

**End Chapter 14**


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

As they always did, the walls of Konoha's underground tunnel system dripped with moisture. Temari found it incredibly difficult to feel her way around in the dark, but managed; the Kikaichu, riding on the back of her hand, making soft clicking noises. The roots that held the walls felt like bloody veins between her fingers. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that the wetness between her fingers was a life-giving fluid rather than water.

She paused, shivering at the gory thought. Indiscernible whispers floated to her ears—the tunnel seemed to breathe. She squeezed her hand into a fist, cold fingers stinging her warmer palm. The beetle clicked.

But, the whispers grew louder: the echoes clearing into a pair of timid voices. Temari's fear evaporated like morning mist—those were _not_ the murmurs of a phantom. She retraced her steps, nearly colliding into two children as she rounded a corner.

"Ahh!" The girl screamed. "They've found us, Udon-kun!"

"Run, Moegi-chan!"

Scowling at their screams, Temari lashed out, grabbing both youngsters by the backs of their shirts. "Quiet down! You want to bring the entire village down here? I'm not the enemy!" The two stopped struggling and the boy struck a match, illuminating their faces.

"B-b-but, you're a Suna-nin!" The girl sniveled.

Temari held out her hand, showing them the Kikaichu. "Yeah, and I backed out."

Udon adjusted his glasses, squinting at the insect. "It's definitely one of the Aburame bugs. I think we really can trust her, Moegi-chan. I don't believe she's lying."

Temari blinked as she took in the two preteens' visages. "Hey, you're those brats that my brother picked a fight with! Where's the other one of your group?"

The carrot-haired girl glared at the older woman before crumpling into tears. Her companion hugged her awkwardly, sniffing. He looked up at Temari. "Konohamaru-kun was supposed to come with us. But he left. He said he had to help his grandpa, the Hokage."

She felt the blood drain from her face. The brat was just a kid, what did he think he could do? "No way… but the Hokage is fighting against my father right now! A twerp like him will just get fried!"

"You're father?"

"The Kazekage."

"You're related to the Kazekage?"

"Then can't you go and do something?" Moegi cried harder. "If you're his daughter then why don't you stop this?"

Temari stiffened before wilting. She looked away from the two.

"I can't do anything either," admitting that was a hard pill to swallow, "He may be my father, but that hardly counts for anything, he's practically a stranger. If I got in the way, he'd cut me down like anyone else."

Silence fell over them, broken only by Moegi's sobbing.

An echo reached them—something had shifted, a fallen rock perhaps. Temari's senses went on high alert, a kunai appearing in each hand. Her eyes scanned the darkness, but saw nothing. She shifted her weight to the balls of her feet.

"Put out that match," she said, "We've got to get moving. Follow me."

Udon did as told, dragging Moegi along by Konohamaru's scarf. The match sputtered and died on the wet ground. Temari had a feeling, though, that it wasn't enough. There was no moss this deep in the tunnels to quiet their footsteps and she wasn't sure if the other two knew how to walk on walls yet.

"Waahhhh!' Moegi hiccupped loudly, falling to her knees without warning. Temari skidded to a stop as the boy knelt by his friend, fruitlessly trying to console her.

Temari marched up to the two and hauled the girl to her feet. "Quiet! Stop crying!"

"I-I-I'm trying!" Moegi hiccupped. "I c-c-can't st-stop!"

Temari pressed her lips together, having experienced hysterics herself before. Udon looked up at the blonde with doeful eyes—they were both still children, just a couple kids with dreams who had only read about war in books—this was a world-altering experience for them.

_I was right to back out,_ she thought,_ this invasion, this provacation of war—it's wrong, on more levels than any of us realized._

Temari furrowed her eyebrows and yanked Moegi onto her back, hooking her hands under the girl's knees. The redheaded girl pressed her nose into Temari's shoulder, still crying. The blonde glanced back at the brunette boy.

"Take hold of my elbow, okay? And don't let go; if you have to sprint to keep up, sprint, got it?"

Udon nodded and grabbed onto her. Once she was sure that the boy's grip was secure they took off running. The earth squished beneath their sandals—too noisily for comfort. Moegi cried softly into the shell of her ear, drowing out any smaller sounds she could have picked up. Udon stumbled, but managed to keep himself from falling, working his legs to keep up with the taller ninja. A light appeared ahead, much to Temari's relief, and they burst out of the earth into the open air and sun…

…right into a group of Sound-nin.

Temari swore under her breath, but took advantage of them not attacking—with her Suna hitai-ate in plain view they didn't think she was a threat.

"Suna-san!" One of them called as she slid Moegi off her back, "You've got hostages! Things have gone bad here, but with those two you may have saved us!"

Udon glared up at the blonde. "You-you liar!"

Temari rolled her eyes, drawing several throwing stars. "Don't be so naïve, kid! _Futon: Kaiten Shuriken_!"

The shuriken tore through a number of the Oto shinobi—the blades having been extended several feet thanks to wind chakra. Blood sprayed into the air and freckled her cheeks and forehead. She held up a kunai defensively, shuriken nestled between the knucles of her other hand as she stood over the two children.

"Get back!" she shouted as the invaders charged her. "_Kaze no Yaiba_!"

The children vanished into the foliage, but this time the Sound-nin were ready for her and they dodged the blade of wind with ease, her attack only managing to hit one of the nin.

However, that still left eight ninja out of what had been a group of twelve and that was eight too many. Four she could have handled—Otogakure was a new village and it's quality of ninja were sill mediocre compared to Suna's high quality genin—but no matter what was said, quantity had a sharp edge on quality when it came to warfare and Oto had cannon-fodder to spare. The remaining eight regarded her warily, forming a half circle around her.

The leader of the Sound squad glared at her, twirling his kunai in his hand. "Aren't you gutsy? Going against protocol; a traitor your own country…"

"The only one I've betrayed is the Kazekage!" Temari snarled, "I act in the best interests of my village!"

She could see the bulge of the man's cheek as she grinned beneath his mask. "I'm not going to kill you, no, I'm going to drag your sorry carcass to Lord Orochimaru and let you answer to him."

She gave the man a stiff middle-fingered salute. "Up yours! I anwer to none but the Kazekage, so Orochimaru can kiss Suna's big, sandy ass!"

The group exchanged glances, laughing breathily. The sound sent shivers up Temari's spine. "Of course, you don't know!" The leader spoke up again, "The Yondaime Kazekage has been dead for weeks! So, you know, in a roundabout way, the one you answer to _is_ Orochimaru-sama!"

Temari felt as if her heart had stopped. '_They killed otou-sama?'_

Rage bubbled up within her—a fiery, boiling mass of hate writhing in her blood like a living creature. Her face reddened with unbridled anger and the shuriken points dug into her palm. '_They killed otou-sama!'_

The group's leader gurgled, a horrible red flower blooming from his neck. He gripped at his neck, fingers prodding through the ravaged flesh into his esophageous. He coughed, blood dripping down his chin and collapsed.

Alarmed, the other nin stared at their dying comrade. "What the-!"

Limbs went flying, quickly followed by the Sound shinobi's screams.

"_Futon: Ken no Zanzetsu Jutsu_." Temari whispered. Three of the enemy writhed on the ground, moaning as they clutched their now useless legs—the backs of their heels and knees destroyed. Of the other five, two were unscathed, one was missing his fingers, another's arm rendered immobile, and the last sported a badly bloodied skull, his left ear clean gone.

Temari ground her teeth to the point of pain. The remaining capacitated ninja stood against her, their stances defensive. She held her own weapons out, preparing to attack them again. The Sound troop dug their toes into the ground…

…and high-tailed it in the other direction.

Temari desperately wanted to chase after them but forced herself to stay put. Legs trembling, she forced her anger into a tiny, uncomfortable knot in her stomach. The Sound group was not important, they were hardly even a threat—Udon and Moegi were important.

She exhaled, feeling calmness wash over her as she got her emotions in check. Professionally, she attended to the remaining, writhing ninja and mercifully slit their throats. She wiped her bloodied hands on the grass and stood, walking to the cave and surrounding foliage. She brushed a draping fern aside with the back of her hand.

"Moegi-san! Udon-san! It's all clear!" She called.

There was no response. The children had gone.

* * *

Konohamaru hardly noticed the smoke even as it brought tears to his eyes and scorched his esophogeous. Konoha was on fire, but neither he nor his foxy companion had abilities with which to put out the flames—thankfully no one was in need of being saved. Perched atop the grey reynard's back, the two dashed past. The buildings would just have to burn.

Tsutsuma's padded feet made no sound on the ground—'_So different from the Inuzuka dogs' noisy claws_,' Konohamaru thought. But now was not the time for such trivial thoughts, his home was currently being used as a battle ground and he was better off planning ahead.

An squardron of Sound-nin emerging from within a collaped building was the perfect example of that, he observed ironically. The masked assailants charged at the two without hesitation.

"Tsutsuma-kun! Highground!" The young Sarutobi exclaimed.

The fox snarled, leaping back out of the reach of the shinobi's weapons and took to the rooftops. The enemy was hot on their trail, following from below. Glancing down at them, the brunette boy pulled down his eyelid and stuck out his tongue. Kunai whizzed by his ear and he threw several back, but didn't manage to hit anyone.

Tsutsuma made an unexpected sharp turn and Konohamaru went tumbling off the animal's back. The enemy decended upon him like a pack of wolves and he scampered to his feet. The sanbi leapt onto one man's back, biting deeply into the Oto-nin's shoulder. The man screamed, stumbling back as hot blood quickly soaked his clothing.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Konohamaru made a handseal, a swell of smoke exploding from his feet to hide him. The men held their weapons at the ready, prepared for anything…

…or so they thought.

"Uhn, _minna-san_!" The well-endowed, stark naked woman crooned, "Surely you don't want to _hurt_ me?" 'She' moved to cover her most intimate places with delicate hands. "Wouldn't you much rather _play_ with me? Because I want to play with you, oooh!" She winked, and blew a kiss.

They dropped like flies.

The busty brunette smirked and transformed back into a young boy. Konohamaru laughed, clutching his gut. "Hahaha! Behold, the world's most deadly jutsu, the technique which even the greatest Kage falls prey to: _Orioke no Jutsu_!" Still grinning, the he turned to his kitsune friend, climbing onto the creature's back. He tried to seem unaffected by the sight of Tsutsuma's bloodied muzzle.

The fox, however, was unfooled, and comfortingly wrapped a tail around the child. "_Are you sure about this, Konohamaru-kun?"_ he growled softly.

Konohamaru swallowerd thickly, but nodded. "I'm sure. Grandpa isn't a young Hokage anymore, he's going to need our help!" Tsutsuma coughed and took off running again across the rooftops. The fox could run faster than most ninja and they were rapidly approaching the Final Arena, which stood out like a giant fishbowl. The sounds of crackling fire and breaking wood beams faded; but, even though there was no one to be seen fighting outside the enormous building, screams could be heard echoing from inside.

* * *

A man's throat collapsed with a sickening sound not unlike a plastic cup being crushed. He collapsed, bloody and writhing, without so much as the ability to scream. Naruto snapped his hand back, his claws flinging into another ninja's forehead. He could feel the ridges of the man's brain tissue under the pads of his fingertips. The enemy fell and died with a soft cry.

Cringing, the yellow-haired demon cleaned his hand of gore by running it through the hair of another one brave enough—'_No, not brave. Just stupid_,' he thought—to charge at him. Caught off guard, the man stumbled and backed up into the ranks, eyes wide.

_'Where do they all _come_ from?'_ Naruto wondered. The Oto forces, while unskilled, were seemingly endless in number with a Suna-nin occasionally popping up amongst the mass. The idea itself was highly unrealistic, he knew they weren't _really_ endless, but while he could go on killing like this for hours it was the blood that was proving to be a problem for him.

His body hummed, muscles taut. The smell of blood was deep in his sinuses—he could practically taste it—and he panted, salivating uncontrollably. He wiped away the trail of drool tricking from a corner of his mouth.

_"_If you want to live_," _Naruto rasped, "Get out of Fire Country now. Or I'll devour you all. This is _my territory! And no one touches that village but me!_"

The smart ones turned tail and fled. The cocky idiots remained and ran at the demon. Naruto glared at the group, his tails whipping out to grasp their necks. The limbs tightened and twisted—eight men dropped dead with a simultaneous snapping sound. Several more fled.

The others paused, more cautious than ever, but Naruto hardly noticed them. He could feel his pupils dialating, teeth growing sharper. His throat felt parched and there was a hefty supply of meat—_human_ _meat_—all around him. Pain exploded from his abdomen and he looked down to see a man sticking him with a kunai.

At first, the masked invader thought the demon was collapsing forward due to the wound, but the teeth of a carnivore sunk into his neck. He screamed, hands flying up to grasp at the blonde's head desperately. Naruto tore out his jugular.

For a moment he stood in a daze, blood dripping down his chin. Then, quite suddenly, he dropped to all fours and vomited.

"Damn," he muttered. But the smell of stomach acid had overpowered the reek of human blood, allowing his sense of mind to clear. The remaining ninja had taken off once he'd bitten that last one, convinced that he wasn't kidding when he said he would devour them.

Naruto stood, a bit shakily, and spat bile and blood. Not that he had been kidding in the first place; most demons had a beserker reflex when it came to human blood. Few could overcome that blood lust. In the past, controlling the desire had not been too much of a problem, but with his 16th birthday so close, his senses were destabilizing to make adjustments for the final tail.

_'And Father's death,'_ he thought bitterly. The smell of blood was still thick in the air and he quickly left the tainted area before his blood lust went on the rise again.

He perched himself in the highest tree in the area, gazing across the sea of green trees. Smoke rose from within the walls of Konoha, but that was not his corncern nor was he concerned. In the distance, he spotted the enormous toad summon he had run into earlier stomping through the trees.

Though his fight with the snake summon had left an enormous hole on Konoha's outer wall, the enemy was no longer flooding into the opening. Most were fleeing, sensible enough to know that the invasion was now a lost cause. Konoha had the upper hand now, and was overtaking their adversaries with ease. From this vantage point he could make out the howls of the Inuzuka clan dogs and even hear some of the names of jutsu being called out. There was an almost silent humming sound flitting through the air.

'_Shit-!'_ He let go of the tree and allowed himself to drop. A shuriken whizzed overhead, lopping off the crown of the tree. The weapon crumbled into sand and rushed at him. Naruto furrowed his brow and spat out a bright blue flame, turning the sand to glass and rendering it useless.

His tailed lashed out, catching him on a branch. He stared out through the foliage. The wind rustled as if response to his anger.

"Gaara-san."

The redhead emerged from the trees, his face a distorted grin. The sand encasing his body was restless. A second form hesitantly emerged from the trees and Naruto's eyebrows rose in surprise.

_'He must be Temari's other brother, Kankuro.'_

"He _is_ real…" he heard Kankuro mutter.

"Demon Prince," Gaara announced, "I have come to kill you!"

Smirking lightly, Naruto allowed himself to drop into view. "So formal, Gaara-san. It seems unlike you. Why the change?"

Gaara met the hachibi's smirk. "You aren't an insect."

The blonde's eyes curved into slits. "Is that so? I suppose I ought to be flattered then!" His cheerful façade dropped. "But you won't kill me."

"Don't be so sure!" Gaara snarled. The gourd on his back slid across his arm and face, giving itself the falsetto appearance of stretched leather.

* * *

Kankuro had never been more afraid than he was now. He was not afraid of many things and he feared those things with good reason. First and foremost was his younger brother—Gaara was not just a force to be reckoned with; he was a force of nature, a living embodiment of humanity's sins. But there was one thing he had always believed in and it was something that even applied to the monster that was his brother:

There is always someone stronger.

Despite that, he had never truly believed that he would ever encounter the person that could make Gaara's power seem small, not in his lifetime at least. Yet here he stood, eyes locked on the golden-haloed being with blood down the front of its haori who radiated such a presence that he didn't even notice his brother transforming beside him. He looked into the tailed being's alien blue eyes and _knew_…

…Gaara didn't stand a chance.

He also knew that there was nothing he could say or do that would change Gaara's mind about fighting this other demon. His redheaded little brother would sooner suffocate him with sand to shut him up than back out of this. If Temari were here, she would have spoken up, regardless, but Kankuro wasn't like her in that aspect and he found himself slinking out of sight to safety.

_'Sorry, Gaara,_ he thought to himself, _'Maybe if we were back home you'd stand a chance, but you forget, this is his turf and you don't have hundreds of miles of sand to save your ass.'_

"Where do you think you're going?" Gaara spoke suddenly, turning his head to look upon his older sibling.

Kankuro felt the hairs on his arms stand on end. Already half of Gaara's face was transformed. He swallowed tightly. "Uh… out of your way?" He said hopefully.

Something pained flashed through the redhead's eyes and the sand crawled over more of his body. "No! You're doing it too! You're in on it with Temari, aren't you? You're betraying me too!"

"G-Gaara…" Kankuro whispered, astonished. "H-how can you say that?" He shouted. "You never trusted us to begin with, so how could we betray you?"

The tail dropped into existence. He could hear Gaara's pointed teeth grinding together fiercely and wondered if he had been wrong, if, in his own emotionally stunted way, Gaara _had_ trusted them. Or at least had tried to. He made plenty of death threats, but the two older siblings got away with things Gaara usually killed people for.

The demon-container seemed to explode, rushing at the brunette furiously. "I'll kill you before you can betray me!"

Overtaken with fear, Kankuro braced himself for death, but found something soft hit him instead. Fingers wrapped around his forearm and pulled him up. He opened his eyes to the face of the yellow-haired demon.

Naruto didn't yet glance at the man in his grip. He pressed his back against a tree trunk and peered out at Gaara, who tore at the trees angrily. A deep gash had been cleaved into his shoulder—an attack meant for Kankuro. Said human gaped at him, speechless.

"Y-you… huh-why… that…"

Naruto turned his gaze to the paint-faced shinobi. "You'd best get out of here. Find your sister, if you can."

"It's true then?" The older male said. "You know Temari?"

"Yes, but it's the least of our worries right now." Turning from Kankuro, he mumbled into his sleeve, "_Kanko-chan_."

The head of a tiny fox emerged from the clothing, its serpentine body slithering out to hover by his ear. The peach-furred fox blinked at its master with beady, vertically slanted eyes. It made a soft crooning sound and opened its tiny mouth in a yawn, nuzzling its head against Naruto's cheek.

"Kanko-chan, I need you to find someone for me."

The mouse-sized creature blinked.

"Her name is Temari. She comes from Wind Country. It shouldn't be hard for you to track her—I left a kiss on her cheek."

"You kissed my sister?"

"Later, Kankuro-san!" Naruto snapped. "Kanko-chan will guide you! Take this to Temari as well," he handed the other male the small fan Temari had given him so long ago. "Now get going!"

Gaara had found them, due to Kankuro's surprised shout, and Naruto shoved the puppet-user off the branch as he leapt toward the other Jinchuriki, claws extended.

Despite his surprise and growing anger at the yellow-furred demon (how dare that weirdo kiss his sister!), he caught himself quickly, skidding down the bark to the grassy earth below. Though some long-forgotten part of him screamed to stay and help (though help _who_, he wasn't entirely sure), he knew better than to look a gift-horse in the mouth.

He glanced curiously at the pipe fox as it tickled his ear and made his getaway.

**End Chapter 15**

_Original Jutsu-Futon: Ken no Zanzetsu Jutsu/Wind Release: Tendon Severing Technique_


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The arena was in poor shape. Of course, that was due to the shinobi battles taking place everywhere.

_'Battle arena indeed!'_ Konohamaru thought. He wove through the ally and enemy forced with ease—no one could spare to let down their guard to gaze after a small boy on a fox. That didn't prevent a few from falling to their deaths as they strangled out an astonished, fearful cry of "Demon fox!"

Tsutsuma used speed alone, not chakra, to run up the wall of the jutsu-beaten arena and to the Kage Platform. However, Konohamaru's grandfather was not among the nin settled there. Instead, he found his eyes settled upon a great transparent box, tinted violet with chakra. It was impossible to see inside, trees curled and twisted on the rooftop like many crippled bonsai. A dozen ANBU stood around the barrier, their hands twitching restlessly, their expressionless masks staring out from under their hoods like shinigami waiting to swoop in on a kill. But they weren't bloodthirsty, they were agitated and more than a little afraid.

Konohamaru urged Tsutsuma toward them and the fox settled gracefully by a Cat-masked ninja.

"H-honarable Grandson!" The ANBU squad leader exclaimed; identified by the white cloak he wore. "You shouldn't be here! It is dangerous!"

Konohamaru shot the man a look. "Too bad! I'm not going to sit by while the enemy invades the village I'm named after!" He slipped off Tsutsuma's back, standing tall. "Now, what is going on?"

The white-cloacked ninja hesitated before consenting to the boy's demand. "Suna has betrayed us. The Kazekage was Orochimaru in disguise—I believe it's sensible to assume that Suna is not aware of the replacement. Orochimaru's guard-nin erected this barrier before we could reach Sandaime-sama. There's no way through. Then Orochimaru… he has used a forbidden jutsu. _Edo Tensei_."

"Edo Tensei?"

"He has raised the dead to fight, cowardly serpent that he is. The Shodaime-sama and Nidaime-sama are fighting Sarutobi-sama right now, I imagine.

The preteen's eyes widened in horror. "No way… we've got to get in there and help!"

"The man who attempted to breach it died on impact and his body was consumed by fire. We have tried several jutsus, but there is no way for us to penetrate it."

Konohamaru's mind was racing as he took in the situation. His eyes roamed over the enormous chakra barrier preventing anyone from helping his grandfather. '_No way to break in, then; just like a safe…_' His eyes lit up._'I've got it!'_

"Hey, you, redhaired chick!" he called, running up the roof, slipping just out of the ANBU's reach.

Said shinobi gave the boy a strange look as he approached, three tailed fox by his side. "Weirdo. What the fuck do you want?"

"Is there any chance you could let little 'ol me in? Pretty please?"

She laughed mockingly. "Dumb ass kid! Of course not! What are you, retarded?"

Konohamaru pouted exaggeratedly. "Fine, if you won't let me in, maybe your friend will. Hey, you, big guy!"

The bulky-nin looked over and met the redhead's eyes, both dangerously confused.

"The hell?"

"Language, Tayuya!"

She whipped her head around as the boy vanished in white smoke. "What are… you…" Her words died in her throat, eyes widening to an impossible size. The other ninja's face bloated with red.

"Oh my…"

"Aahh, hello big boy!" Crooned a very curvy, naked woman with Tayuya's face. "Won't you let me in? I've been so very _bad_; I need Orochimaru-sama to punish me! Unless," she lifted her shoulders minutely, pressing a finger to her bottom lip, "Unless _you_ want to do it."

The man looked like he was about to hemmorage to unconsciousness at any moment.

"You-you… YOU LITTLE FUCKER! JUST WHOSE TITS DO YOU THINK YOU'RE FLASHING, YOU LITTLE SHIT-EATING COCK-SUCKER?"

"Tayuya, no-!"

But it was already too late. The woman leapt out of position, her concentration on the barrier jutsu dissolving into rage. "I'm going to fucking_kill_ you!"

The ANBU wasted no time rushing in now that the barrier was gone. Konohamaru jumped out of Tayuya's rampaging path with the aid of Tsutsuma. She glared up with death in her eyes as he blew a raspberry at her.

"Don't you know?" He shouted at her, still in the form of the kunoichi's naked body. "A woman's deadliest weapon is her body!"

"Shut the fuck up and let me kill you, shitstain!"

"You don't make a very convincing argument!"

"Rrgh! You're going to be hamburger meat by the time I'm through with you, you little bastard!" She roared, whipping out, to Konohamaru's surprise, a flute. "I'm going to play you a melody of death!"

Konohamaru released the transformation, landing heavily on the roof tiles opposite her. Battles raged around them—the Sound shinobi finding themselves each facing 2 or more ANBU. He watched as the many-armed ninja shot out some net-like jutsu, and another suddenly became two people.

Three more ANBU leapt at Nidaime, owever only one person was taking on the Shodaime—Cat. Trees and wood burst from the rooftop beneath both men's feet.

_'I didn't know any of the Shodaime's decendants had Mokuton. Does the Legendary Tsunade have an illegit kid or something?'_Konohamaru wondered. Tayuya's lips neared her flute and the young boy sent a kunai whizzing by her cheek, gaining him a few seconds. He knew better than to assume it was an ordinary flute. "Tsutsuma-kun, go help Grandpa!"

The reynard yipped in protest.

"You'll be able to do more against Orochimaru than the ANBU can! I can hold my ground against this chick!"

"I don't know what you're planning over there," The redhead growled, "But it won't be enough to save your scrawny ass!"

The human-fox team charged her, much to her lack of surprise. She reeled back as the fox neared, it's jaws outstretched to sink its fangs into her arm…

…and it sailed right by.

Her eyebrows rose—that had been unexpected—and she nearly managed to avoid the kid's fist aiming for her nose. He jumped back as soon as he was aware of his miss, but her fingers caught onto his long, blue scarf.

"You filthy rat!" She snarled; the fact that the sanbi was headed for Orochimaru was not lost on her. She had underestimated the young boy.

Konohamaru gagged and scowled as he lifted his hands to grip the material around his neck. "I'm not a rat!" He shouted, concentrating his chakra, "If anything, I'm more of a cross between a fox," the scarf whipped into life, twisting itself around the stunned kunoichi's body, "and a monkey!"

"What the fuck is this?" She exclaimed, feeling the material tighten around her like she was some sort of to-be mummy.

"Ha, isn't it obvious?" Konohamaru declared haughtily, "My scarf if made of a special, chakra-conducting material! It's also fire-resistant, water-resistant, stain-resistant, and tear-resistant! Good luck getting out of this!" He dashed forward, swiping her flute right out of her fingers.

"Hey-! _Shit_!"

"Especially without your flute!" He continued, waving it around in his hand. "I don't know what you use this thing for, but playing some lame-ass lullaby isn't going to put _me_ to sleep!"

Tayuya snarled. "Don't talk about my music that way!"

He leered at her. "Oooh! Touchy aren't—w-what are you doing?"

Jagged, coal-black lines began spreading across her skin—as if invisible hands were scribbling on her with markers. The surge of chakra that pulsated from her body caused his scarf to fall away—returned to its tradional state of limp, harmless cloth. The cap she wore was torn to shreds by the horns now sprouting from her skull.

She grinned. "You're so dead."

_'Oh, shit.'_

_

* * *

_

Moegi and Udon, truthfully, had no idea where they were running. Udon just knew that they had to find someplace safe. As soon as he'd figured out that the Suna kunoichi had tricked them, he took Moegi's hand and had taken off.

_'That kikaichu must have been one of the female bugs_,' he reasoned,_'and when she found it, she decided to use it to trick us instead of killing it like most people would do. Damn! I can't believe I fell for something so obvious!'_

There was almost no fighting going on now—Konoha was driving out the last of the invaders—but Udon still felt that hunkering down under a thorny bush would be a bad idea—the threat was not over yet. He had initially thought of taking to the tunnels again, but dismissed the idea as quickly as it came; he and his teammate would almost certainly get lost and the Suna woman seemed to know her way around those passages. That would definitely have been a bad idea.

_'Not that we're doing much better right now,'_ he thought bitterly. The forests outside Konoha's walls were forbidden territory, and therefore foreign, despite being on the village's doorstep. And the forest was as protective as it was forboding. It was nearly impossible to see the sky through the canopy and the closeness of the trees pressed down like claustrophobia. Their chakras felt muted and Udon wondered if jutsus would work as effectively here.

"U-Udon-kun," Meogi gasped, "I've gotta stop."

He glanced back at her. "Not now, Moegi-chan, it's not safe here!"

"No, Udon-k-kun, I _have_ to stop!" She stumbled as soon as the last sylabble passed her lips and collapsed to all fours, panting heavily. Her fingers sank into the loam until she was wrist deep in soft, green moss. Her cheeks were flushed red with exhaustion.

Udon felt his legs trembling and wondered how he had missed the burning pain eating at his thighs. _Adreneline_, his mind supplied fleetingly—it was not important.

"Okay," he breathed, "We can rest, but only for five minutes. We need to keep moving."

"That's… all I need." She spoke, focusing on steadying her breathing so that she wouldn't hyperventilate.

He crumpled down alongside her, racking his mind for a solution to their situation. Had always been the brains of the team, despite Konohamaru being the unofficial leader of the trio. He was the one who decided where traps were set, what formation they took on a mission: triangular or diamond? He was the one who was strongest in taijutsu; he was a mathmetician, and fighting could be calculated and solved just like arithmetic. Pivot 115 degrees left on the ball of your right foot. Keep your chin parallel with the ground; turn your hand 200 degrees when pulling your fist back to your side. Enemy X has eight possible paths of offense and three defense, also a 6% chance of retreat—20% if K.I. is used. If the enemy is a Suna shinobi there is a 63% chance of futon, 27% of doton—chances of lighting and water release jutsu nonexistent, enemy uses wind—use fire. Enemy uses earth—use lighting; (I don't know any fire or lightning jutsu—retreat , run, run, _run—don't scream_! Shinobi handbook rule number 25: a good shinobi never shows his or her emotions. _Ohgod_, pretend you can't feel it, don't scream, _don't scream…_).

Udon buried his face in his hands, struggling against the need to sob. What to do? What was he supposed to do? What _could_ he do?

_"Hey look! It's Udon the robot!"_

_"Why don't you smile for us, Robot-boy?"_

_"Robots don't eat, right? So you won't be needing this lunch money!"_

_"You're too smart! Nobody's that smart!"_

_"Another 100% on your test! Mom is so proud of you, Udon-chan!"_

_"It's okay—he's a Robot-boy, so it's not like he can feel anything anyway!"_

_"Hey! Leave him alone!_

_"You're supposed to be really smart, right? Can you help me study? I really stink at math and I'll be grounded for sure if I get another D!_

_"Leave my friend alone or I'll beat you all up!_

_"What? Of course we're friends, Udon-kun! What did you think we were?_

_"Udon-kun! You came!_

_"Udon-kun! This is Moegi-chan! She's cool—she's going to sit with us at lunch from now on!_

_"Udon-kun!_

_"Udon-kun!"_

He jumped to his feet, startling his teammate, tears furiously rolling down his cheeks.

"Udon-kun?" Moegi murmured, kneading the ache in her chest with her thumb.

"We have to go back and help Konohamaru-kun." He told her firmly.

She looked up at him with doeful eyes. "Udon-kun… we… what can we do? Konohamaru is stronger than you and me, and… he wanted us to be safe. What could we possibly…"

"Something!" He cried out, bursting. "We can do _something_! I don't know what, but I can't let him put himself in danger like that when we're out here running around like a couple of headless chickens!" he wiped at his tears and dribbling nose, "H-he's my best friend! My _best_ friend! A-and when I die, I don't want to be old or poisoned or anything like that! I want to go down protecting my best friend's back!"

Moegi watched in relative silence as his body shook with emotion. Slowly, her muscles screaming, she got up and embraced him, burying her nose in the crook of his neck.

"You're right, Udon-kun," she said, "Konohamaru-kun and you… you guys are my best friends. I'd do anything for you guys. We can't leave Konohamaru-kun behind, and I'll be damned if I let him leave us in the dust either!"

The two broke apart, wiping their eyes clear. Finally, they lowered their hands and exchanged determined gazes. Udon nodded resolutely. Moegi retied her hitae-ate more securely to her forehead.

"From here on out…"

"We're no longer children. No more childish pranks…" he reached out to streak her cheeks with the mud stuck to his fingers. She reached back and did the same to him.

"Or whining about missions that stink…"

"No more fairytales…"

"We're shinobi!"

* * *

Kankuro was beginning to get seriously frustrated. Not only had the pipe fox not yet tracked Temari down, but now some overly dramatic-haired _rookie_ had run up from behind and starting yelling all sorts of stupid challenges. Kankuro hated rookies, they were all too cocky, all thought that they were indescructable and that being a ninja was equal to playing hero.

They all reminded Kankuro of himself.

Kankuro growled at the raven-haired boy. "Get lost! I don't have time to deal with a punk kid like you; I've got more important things to take care of than playing ninja with the stupid Uchiwa brat, jaan!"

The younger male snarled. "It's Uchi_ha_!"

"No one _cares_, loser! Ha-ha-_ha_!"

The rookie began flying through handseals, looking hilariously offended, and Kankuro swiftly brought out Karasu, recognizing the sequence for the kanton technique the boy once used in the preliminaries. The kudagitsune murmured something in his ear, words he couldn't understand-some weird fox language?-and slithered away. Good riddance; he didn't need to risk his hide protecting some demon's _pet_.

The Konoha-nin completed his handseals, spitting out an enormous sphere of fire. However, the fireball did not barrel toward the puppet-weilder as expected; instead, it exploded like a firework, tendrils of flame running rampant through the air. The Konoha genin's eyes widened and he wasted no time jumping out of the fire's out-of-control path until it burned itself away.

"The hell?" His eyes darted around, Sharingan eyes blazing, "…The air, it's full of chakra! This whole damn forest is a powder keg!" He was at a loss—almost his entire arsenal of jutsu was now hazardous to his own well-being.

Kankuro's laughter echoed through the trees.

"Is breathing fire like some wannabe dragon the only thing you can do? And it looks like you don't even know the elements of your own country, jaan! Pathetic! You can't use those kind of cheap party tricks in here! It's not called the Demon Forest for nothing, you know! It's conditioned for the Demon Prince's use and his use only!"

Bullshit.

Complete and utter bullshit—but, the Uchiha didn't know that, and it was more than likely true anyway. In reality, Kankuro had been sure that he was about to become ninja-yaki when he saw that fireball fly out of the Uchiha brat's mouth.

However, this could easily be used to ensure the fight was in his favor. The black haired genin was now hesitant to use any of his jutsu, but Kankuro had no such qualms—all he needed to fight with were his chakra strings, and whatever wild chakra was floating about wasn't hindering that ability in the least. Kankuro grinned.

Karasu's mouth clicked open, unleashing a heavy spray of poison gas. The effect was immediate and the Uchiha was forced to abandon his hiding place in order to avoid inhaling any of the fumes. Kankuro was prepared for him, peppering the black-haired teen with senbon, many of which were deflected harmlessly with a kunai. The boy still had his dojutsu active, but it was usless, the only opponent he could see was the Suna shiobi's wooden puppet, and the chakra-hazed air hid the marionette's strings. The puppert had no muscles, no circulatory system—its movements could not be predicted

"Tch," Uchiha huffed.

"You should just leave," Kankuro's echoing voice spoke again, "I have the upper hand and you're next to useless. Go back to your village or you'll end up being the worm my Crow eats for lunch, jaan!"

The Uchiha's face reddened with anger, his grip on the blade tightening. Enraged, he charged at Karasu, throwing shuriken and fists that bounced uneffectively off the puppet's wodden frame. Karasu lunged, its arms (too many arms, too many joints, it's not natural, it's not _human,_ keep it away, _away_) curling around to grasp at the younger male's thrashing body. The black-haired boy sent Karasu's eyes rolling with a sharp uppercut, and the head rolled off the body easily.

From his hiding place, Kankuro scoffed at the Uchiha'a triumphant expression. Did the kid really think that beheading his puppet made any difference? It wasn't a human that would fall dead once its spine was severed. He watched with glee as he unfurled the head's hidden dagger and sent it flying toward the enemy shinobi's skull, snickering at the genin's bewildered face. For a moment, he thought the teen's eyes squinched shut in horror, but a mind-numbing jolt of electricity burst from the Konoha-nin's body, causing Kankuro's aim to miss as static jumped up the chakra strings to bite at his fingers.

He swore, releasing the jutsu for a split moment. It was moment enough for the Uchiha heir to slip free, shaking somewhat as he was zapped by his own technique. Karasu jumped back into action a moment later somewhat stiffly, one arm popping open to relase senbon. But Kankuro found that there was a problem: No senbon were coming out.

He ground his teeth together, pulling the string harder. The mechanism clicked desperately, but no weapons emerged.

'_Dammit! The little bastard must've partially melted the mechanisms! It's jammed!'_

"You're going to pay for that, you little circus freak!"

For once, the local shinobi hurled an insult back. "You're calling _me _a circus freak with a clown face like that?"

'_He did_ not _just insult my face-paint.'_ Kankuro thought. '_That ignorant little pest!'_ It was almost worse than being accused of wearing make-up like a girl. Face-paint was the mark of a puppetier, and as the eldest son of the Kazekage, he was one of few who could wear purple—representing nobility and loftiness. The fan-brat might as well have just spat on his teachers' graves.

Karasu lunged, its arms flinging wildly. "You know, I was going to just beat the snot out of you, but now, now I think I'll go ahead and kill your sorry ass, jaan!"

The black-haired teen dodged, but one of Karasu's arms snapped into action, catching the human by the ankle and throwing him into the trunk of the tree he had been crouched on.

The boy clutched at his nose, blood seeping out from between his fingers as Karasu's peeled him off the bark, this time throwing his back against a particularly thick branch.

"How about death by massive head trauma? That sounds fun!" The puppet's mouth clicked with a soundless mock of laughter. Or, at least it did until the teen's heel jammed into its body.

The boneless puppet arced upward, pushed higher as the Uchiha kicked it repeatedly, his motions almost equivalent to the Shadow of the Dancing Leaf.

"Shishi Rendan!" He called out, appearing above the wooden marionette. However, he found his foot collided, not with wood, but a fleshy palm. His eyes widened in shock and Kankuro grinned up at him.

"Kawarimi, jaan!" The Suna-nin exclaimed, driving his fist into the other male's pelvis.

The Uchiha kicked back in retailiation, but his blow only met wood. "Damn it! How can I be losing here?"

"Because you're too stupid to know when the odds are against you?" Kankuro supplied.

"Shut up!"

Anger was such a useful tool. "I'd like to see you try to make me, fan-boy!"

"Gladly!"

**End Chapter 16**

_"Jaan" is Japanese slang. Like "dattebayo," it doesn't actually mean anything and is often used by Yankii to voice their toughness. Kankuro really does use it in the series._

_Ninja-yaki-grilled/roasted ninja._


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Konohamaru _ran_. There was nothing to do _but_ to run, because if he stopped, if he slowed up even a tiny bit, the redheaded woman would catch him and put a kunai through his head. He cradled her flute close to his chest, his fingers ashen as his grip stifled the blood circulation to his fingers. He wouldn't let go until she pried it from him in death.

Or, at least, that's what he _should_ do. But, dammit, the idea of giving her back the flute just to get her off his ass was starting to sound good. If she at least threw a shuriken or something at him, he could divert his path and maybe get far enough ahead to have something of an edge of the Oto kunoichi, but she did no such thing, chasing him like an angry bull.

"Give me back my flute, you little shit!"

_'There's no way she would try to skewer me on those horns of hers, right?'_ "Sorry, try again! You didn't say the magic word!"

"Now!"

"Not quite, getting warmer, though!"

"Cocksucker!"

"Ooh, icy! You're cold, frigid, arctic! Turn around, quick! You'll never get it back at this rate!" Okay, so taunting her probably wasn't his best idea. But, Konohamaru was a veteran prankster and people got sloppy when they were upset, and Konohamaru was _good_ at getting people to lose concentration, whether it was by painting the Hokage Monument or mocking a former bully for not passing while the Sarutobi made it to genin. He wasn't as good as Udon when it came to strategy, nor was he as discreet as Moegi, but 90% of his tricks ended up successful.

But, he reluctantly admitted to himself, he didn't frequent his pranks on shinobi who weren't Konoha-nin. Those ninja were, for the most part, rather accustomed to his mischievous personality.

The Sound kunoichi behind him—not so much. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but antagonize her, even when he knew it would probably cost him his skin.

'_Okay, I have no escape from this lady. No way I'll be able to outrun her without Tsutsuma-kun. Ugh, well, when there's no way to stealthily escape, fight your way out and catch the enemy off guard!_' There was only a fraction of a second to execute the move.

Konohamaru bit down hard on his tongue, diving forward and planting his palm firmly on the ground. He felt his arm shake as his body was forced to stop abruptly, but he didn't let his elbow give, using the remnants of his speed to swing his body around back in the opposite direction. Tayuya's eyes were wide. He stuck one leg out, the other bent close against his body, and as his palm left the earth he skidded between the redheaded woman's legs like a baseball player sliding to home base.

"Home run!" He couldn't help but shout gleefully, springing back to his feet and falling back into a sprint. The kunoichi was stunned into giving the genin several very valuable seconds. It was enough time for him to snatch up his fallen scarf.

The maroon haired woman came to her senses just in time to watch the boy leap off the rooftop, twisting around in midair to pull down his eyelid and stick out his tongue.

"Little fucker! You think this is a game?" She shouted, running after him. She stood at the roof's edge and watched as the brunette boy landed with a soft thud in the arena. "I'm going to kill you!"

He looked up, cupping his hands around his mouth. "You keep saying that, but I'm still kicking! What, are you useless without your flute or something?"

It was a sharp stab in the gut. She _was_ useless without her flute; she had never needed anything else. '_But no one has ever managed to steal my flute from me either! That sneaky little rat!'_ She scowled to herself, leaping after the preteen as he made a mad dash through the clots of fighting ninja, crashing into several people. Some twisted form of good luck blessed him to bump only into Sound and Suna-nin, allowing the Leaf forces to pounce.

Konohamaru glanced back at Tayuya, saw her hit the ground, tucking into a roll to lessen the impact. Unfortunately, as his eyes were not on the ground in front of him, he crashed full-force into another person. A pair of firm hands grasped his shoulders, steadying both of them. Konohamaru's entire body went ridged and he snapped his head up at the taller figure to discern if the person was an ally or enemy. He was met with a high-collared coat, circular rimmed sunglasses and wild, curly brown hair.

Shino raised his eyebrows at the younger genin under his palms and glanced over the boy's head, catching sight of the strange, horned woman stomping toward him, fury burning in her yellowed eyes.

"You look like you could use some help," The bug-user said, turning his attention back down to the preteen.

Konohamaru blinked. "Uh, yeah! Yeah, I do!"

"Get behind me."

For a moment, Konohamaru looked as if he were going to protest; had the situation been any less severe he probably would have. But he relented, muttering under his breath. "I don't need protecting,"

Shino held out his arms, beckoning his insects back to him. "Don't worry, I won't steal all of your fun." He clenched one hand into a fist and the insects swarmed toward the Oto kunoichi. "What long range jutsu do you know?"

"Um, none?"

"What about that flute?"

"It's hers!" The young Sarutobi exclaimed, pointing at Tayuya, who was now swatting angrily at the kikaichu.

Shino narrowed his eyes at the lack of effect the Spindle Formation was having. "Try using it."

"What?"

"I dislike repeating myself." The Aburame took several steps forward, setting himself into a taijutsu stance. "Stay behind me, and if you see an opening in her defense, take advantage of it."

Then she was upon them, a furious, blood-haired, horned demon.

He watched her closely; though her eyes were fixated on Konohamaru she was well aware of the bug-wielder, wrists taught against her sides before launching one fist toward him. Shino dodged easily, hastily making a Mushi Bushin as her knuckles cracked into the dry earth.

The Bug Clone moved to engage her as he threw several of his insect-rigged shuriken. They struck her arms and thigh, and she let out an enraged howl as she grappled with the clone, tearing its arms asunder only for the limbs to dissolve and reform. Each time, more bugs would latch onto her person, digging into her skin like chakra-sucking ticks.

She dropped onto all fours, the clone's fist sailing through the empty air she once occupied. She thrust her leg upward, jabbing the human-shaped mass through its head. The clone was still for a moment then dissolved. A fist materialized from the swarm and she rolled out of its way as an arm and body followed.

Konohamaru placed the demonic flute to his mouth and blew. A sharp, screeching wail emitted from the instrument and at the sound, Tayuya whirled toward him, looking positively livid. She turned her back to Shino and charged toward the young Sarutobi, murder in her eyes.

Panicked, Konohamaru blew several more sour notes, but nothing happened.

Shino intercepted the redheaded girl's warpath, jabbing his hand, open-palmed, into her belly. She glared, recognizing the imitation of the Hyuga's fighting style, but felt no chakra stinging her tenketsu. The blow was ineffective. Growling, Tayuya decided to give the Aburame a little lesson in proper technique, driving her fist into the man's gut, unsurprised when he burst into a swarm of insects once again.

However, instead of reforming or swarming back to their master, the insects surrounded her, lifting her into the air, pelting their tiny bodies at her like bullets.

"Argh! You sonuvabitch!" She exclaimed, thrashing fruitlessly. The insects writhed, flinging her back down to the earth. The ground spider-webbed as her back slammed into the ground, dazing her.

She forced herself to her feet, gritting her teeth against the pain and swaying dangerously.

"_Sukaffu Shuushuku no Jutsu_!" Konohamaru spoke up.

She glanced up and fell on her butt, miraculously allowing the constricting cloth to stretch harmlessly over her head. Tayuya bared her teeth, her ears stopped ringing, and she reached up fearlessly, grabbing the scarf, and _pulled_.

Konohamaru gave a sharp cry. His scarf was still partially wrapped around his neck, and the Sound kunoichi's yank brought him flying forward into her readied fist.

His face felt like it exploded with pain. He crumpled, cradling his nose—blessedly it seemed unbroken—as his eyes filled with tears. One tooth felt as if it might be loosened.

"Little rat! Give me back my flute!"

Shino appeared behind the preteen, open palm smacking into her forehead as the insect swarm returned, surrounding her and flinging the redhead across the arena.

"Are you alright, Konohamaru-san?" The bug-wielder asked.

Shakily, the boy got to his feet. "Yeah, she got me good though. Why do you keep slapping her?"

"I am not 'slapping' her. It is a taijutsu I call 'Insect Palm.'"

Tayuya's figure slowly became visible through the cloud of dust. She screeched, staring at her arms in horror. The bugs had drained her of so much chakra, her Cursed Seal had powered down to Level One.

"Rats! Vermin! _Bastards_!" She wailed furiously.

Shino kept his eyes fixated on her. "Listen to me, Konohamaru-san, I want you to try using the flute again?"

The young genin furrowed his eyebrows. "Why? It didn't work!"

"Just do it!"

Konohamaru obeyed, playing the instrument clumsily, slowly sounding out a poor mockery of a common lullaby.

There was an explosion of smoke and a 15-foot tall ogre joined the battle.

* * *

Sarutobi Hirzen had seen a lot in his lifetime. He was ancient by shinobi standards, had lived through three wars, watched a tiny trading village grow into a mighty empire, watched kingdoms fall, learned countless jutsu and become the ninja equivalent of a king. Old though he was now, he was not some frail old coot; he had been called a god among shinobi when he had been in his prime, and even now that power echoed out from within his very bones. Though his skin was loose and elastic his muscles remained as solid as steel; though he spent far too many days wasting behind a desk and endless stacks of legal paperwork, his mind still retained its brilliance and sharpness that it had possessed in the early days.

This was still his first time seeing a multi-tailed fox _come to his defense_, of all things.

In the back of his mind, he recognized the reynard as Konohamaru's friend, Tsutsuma. He smirked minutely, a bit of relief sinking into his blood. _'No doubt the fox was what broke that blasted barrier. Heh, leave it to Naruto-kun to make use of _me_ as a pawn in his strategies.'_ For a brief moment, he allowed his eyes to slip closed. _'A shame. You would have been a great asset to me had you stayed, Naruto-kun. You'd have been a brilliant shinobi.'_

And then the melancholic moment passed and his face returned to an expression of set grimness.

Parallel to him, his once-student frowned, increasing agitation plastered to his milk-white face. The serpentine man's malicious plans had been shot to hell _and_ high water, and it was getting gradually worse. First had been Uchiha Sasuke's disqualification from the exams and then the plants he had hidden in the observer stands failed to execute the Mass Sleeping Jutsu, allowing the civilians to make havoc and get in the way. _Then_ the Shishienjin barrier was disrupted and dispelled allowing the ANBU to interrupt and occupy the Shodaime and Nidaime _as well as_ the Sound Four!

The Monkey King Enma was in the form of the irritatingly indestructible Adamantine Staff, held firmly in one of Sarutobi's hands, which was a pain in itself, and _now_ some wild animal had wandered in and made itself a nuisance!

Tsutsuma snarled at the Sannin, baring his ivory fangs. Hiruzen was not fluent in kitsune-speak, but was able to pick out "filthy scaly spawn" and "trespasser" out of the otherwise indistinguishable growls. Orochimaru had a strange look on his face—an expression Sarutobi faintly remembered being the look his former student often had when he had dubbed himself defeated even if the battle wasn't over and done with yet.

An eye blinked open on the Adamantine Staff. "You can't let him get away this time, Sarutobi," Emna grumbled.

"I know. In the end… either Orochimaru or myself will die on this rooftop." He inhaled deeply, tightening his grip of the staff as oxygen flooded his lungs. The toes of his sandals squeaked a soft 'errru' as he shifted his weight to the balls of his feet. The air shifted and he vanished.

Orochimaru leapt to the left, the end of the staff grazing his side as it bashed into the tiles he had occupied only milliseconds before. The fox was waiting for him, jaws gaping, eager to close around his ankle. With serpentine reflexes, the Hebi Sannin managed to pivot enough to fall just out of the fox's reach. Its tail lashed out toward him, flexing like a rubber band, but again he leapt out of the way.

Scowling, Orochimaru summoned the Kusanagi. The venomous katana emerged from his open mouth like some sick reverse-sword-swallowing act. It cleared his esophagus and settled into his hand just in time to block Enma's staff from crushing his skull in. His arm shook and he noted, with no small amount of glee, that Hiruzen's shoulders trembled as well.

"I believe this is what they call a 'deadlock,' ne, Sarutobi-sensei?" He crowed.

A smirk crinkled the older man's flesh. "It would be, if it were only one-on-one, my fallen apprentice!"

The fox!

He managed to suppress a flinch at the teeth digging into his calf, but collapsed onto one knee when the reynard's fangs suddenly pulled and _something_ _tore_.

The Adamantine Staff knocked Kusanagi from Orochimaru's grasp, and Tsutsuma released his hold on the human's leg, ribbons of skin, muscle, and sinew dangling from his bloody maw. Kusanagi shivered where it lay, and Tsutsuma pounced upon in, nailing it to the tile before it could slither back into Orochimaru's hands. Growling, Tsutsuma attacked with all four of his tails, the furry appendages stretching toward the enemy.

Orochimaru stumbled over his ruined leg, casting his arms out. Armfuls of snakes emerged from his sleeves, one set clashing with the reynard's tails, the other flying at the Sandaime. Enma's staff form splintered, forming a protective cage around the ancient shinobi.

Tsutsuma, however, wasn't quite so lucky.

The grey fox coughed and growled furiously as the snakes sank their fangs into him. Most simply got a mouth full of fur, but two of them pierced skin. Howling, Tsutsuma thrashed, tearing the serpents' heads from their bodies. Spittle clung to his gums and his eyes blazed with fury.

Tsutsuma abandoned Kusanagi to charge at the snake-summoner, his three tails thrashed wildly. His claws sank into smoke.

Kusanagi writhed again, wriggling across the tiles like a living snake. Beside it, Orochimaru held out his hand. The sword coiled, as if to spring into its wielder's hold, but the Adamantine Staff crashed into his gut first. Kusanagi fell, lifeless once again as Orochimaru went skidding back several meters.

Hiruzen stepped on Kusanagi, keeping the blade firmly pinned to the ground. Orochimaru wheezed noisily for all of three seconds. The yellow-eyed man glared at his teacher; his tongue lashed out, thick and purple, twisting as if to wrap around the Hokage's stringy neck.

"You senile old man!"

Tsutsuma rushed toward them, tails stretching offensively again, but the fox's movements had noticeably slowed. Nevertheless, Orochimaru reluctantly drew his tongue back into his gullet, glaring as the fox skidded to a stop in front of his old teacher.

Hiruzen crouched down to pick up Kusanagi, his eyes carefiully fixed on the pale-faced man before him. The handle katana was rough and frayed, feeling sickeningly wrong in his hand. The metal seemed to hum or pulse. He narrowed his eyes at the sensation.

_'This is a demon blade,_'

He shoved the revelation from his thoughts; it was not the most important issue at the moment. He would deal with it later.

Orochimaru was incensed. How dare that old geezer pick up Kusanagi as if to use it! He wanted to rush forward and tear the weapon from the Hokage's hand—but that would be nothing short of suicide. The Sannin growled low in his throat and took a step back. A retreat was his best option for survival now; the loss of Kusanagi would not be significant, however irritating.

The retreating movement did not go unnoticed by either man or fox and they realized that they had to make their move now or their prey would twist free from their grasp. Tsutsuma bolted forward, ignoring the sharp ache of the wound in his side. Hiruzen heaved the Adamantine Staff onto his shoulder and threw it into the air.

"Enma! _Kongo Roheki_!" The Sandaime shouted, rushing toward the snake-summoner with Kusanagi in hand.

The staff splintered, once again forming a cage, however, this time it was not meant to protect Hiruzen, but instead to trap Orochimaru. Orochimaru attempted to dodge, but being in the form of many staffs did not lessen Enma's awareness or brainpower, and he crashed down on the sallow-faced man.

Orichimaru cried out with frustration, gripping the bars. "You stupid baboon! Let me out of here unless you want me to kill you too!"

Tsutsuma's tails extended, reaching toward the bars to wrap around Orochimaru's neck. Sarutobi stopped just outside of the prison, pointing Kusanagi at its owner. The younger male froze, yellow eyes wide.

Hiruzen ground his teeth; mercy was not an option; taking the once Konoha-nin as a prisoner of war was not an option, hesitating was not an option. There was only one option.

"This is the end of you, Orochimaru!"

* * *

Things had been going strongly in Kankuro's favor. The environment had desperately handicapped his opponent and victory was only a few precise, blood-drawing moves away. Granted, his puppet was not without a few new battle-scars to its name, but the battle had been as good as won.

That was about five seconds ago.

Now, Kankuro scowled at the sight of two Leaf shinobi approaching fast, led by a pug dog that was also garbed in ninja attire.

"Sasuke-kun!" The pinkette shouted.

Kankuro groaned in frustration. "Argh, you Leafs are like freaking _roaches_! Go crawl under a rock and _die_, why don't you?"

"You wish," The new male snorted, landing heavily on a branch beside the Uchiha. "Jeez, Sasuke, what a troublesome guy you are."

"What are you two doing here?" the Uchiha snapped.

The bored-looking male slouched further. "We're here to drag you back to the village. Forget about that Gaara guy, Konoha's won. Let them take off with their tails between their legs."

"Hey!" Kankuro protested.

The pinkette clasped her hands together. "Please, Sasuke-kun! This kind of fight is pointless! Let's just go back…"

"Shut up, Sakura!" the Sharingan kid spat. "It's the Suna-nins' fault that I got disqualified from the exam! I—!"

"Like hell it is! Troublesome guy." The bored one interrupted. "You're the one who showed up, not only late, but in the middle of someone else's battle."

"What do you know, Shikamaru?"

The now identified Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his forehead. Kankuro resisted the urge to do the same, feeling a headache building up. '_More than you, apparently, Uchiha,'_

"You should listen to your teammates, jaan!" He shouted, spurring Karasu into the group, forcing them to split. "I'll get you, brats! And your little dog too!"

"Who're you calling a cute little dog, huh?"

Kankuro glared at the pug. '_No one said anything about you being cute, you ugly mutt!'_

The pink haired girl had landed on a branch several yards above Karasu. She threw a kunai at the puppet and seemed unsurprised when it stuck into the wood, quivering, but uneffective. Shikamaru and the pug stood on Karasu's right.

Sasuke didn't land anywhere, tapping off a tree trunk and launched himself at the puppet with single-minded determination. The puppet's arms came up, blocking the crushing kick. Joints creaked.

Though annoyed, Kankuro did not see the "Last Uchiha" as a threat. A pest and a distraction, certainly, but it was the dog that would inevitably pose a serious hazard. It was already sniffing around, listening attentively to the pony-tailed ninja's mutterings.

'_If that mutt manages to sniff me out, I'm done for_,' the marionette wielder thought darkly, '_Time for a change in strategy.'_

Again Karasu went flying at the Uchiha, arms waving wildly. The dark-haired teen leapt out of its destructive path, throwing another kunai, which bounced harmlessly off the wood. Karasu whipped around quickly, catching the kunai in it's loose fingers and threw it back at the surprised genin. It was an easy dodge, but Kankuro could see the Uchiha grinding his teeth, angry to see his own weapons used against him.

"Sasuke-kun no baka!" Sakura shouted, "You're wasting your energy fighting a puppet! You're Rookie of the Year, use the head that gained you that title instead of your damn pride!"

Shikamaru chuckled. "Smart girl. Don't you agree, Suna-san?" he commented, glancing behind him.

Kankuro snickered, melting into view. "Aw, ya got me, jaan!" Sasuke continued his assault on Karasu. "I suppose this is the part where you use your fancy shadow-trick and apprehend me?"

The pug dog narrowed his beady little eyes and sat back on his haunches. The Leaf-nin rolled his shoulder. "Something like that. But you're not really interested in all this fighting, are you?"

Kankuro flexed his fingers, smirking. "Nah, not really. But I can't say I've ever been one to turn down a good head bashing opportunity, either. You're not going to alert your teammates?"

Shikamaru scowled. "They're not my teammates, just a couple of troublesome peers."

"Ah," the puppet-user smoothed his hand over his jumpsuit, "Think the girl will fall swooning into my arms if I ask her on a date?"

The younger shinobi snorted. "Probably not, she's head-over-heels for Uchiha, and has a mean right hook and temper to boot. She'd probably scream her undying love for Sasuke-san and punch you all the way back to Sunagakure at the same time."

"Damn, it's always the cute ones," Kankuro scowled.

"Tch, women. Great bushin, by the way."

Kankuro's face twisted into a terrifying grin. "Thanks. How'd you know?"

The pug was making not-so-discreet coughs of laughter. Shikamaru continued looking bored, but his dark eyes gleamed.

"It's a great bushin—you've even got the shadow and leaf rustles down right, but Pakkun has already identified that you have no scent, and my jutsu doesn't work on you if you aren't real. Wasn't too hard."

"Ooh, you're even smarter than the girl. Tell me, what's your take on cross-dressing?"

"Disgusting," the Nara muttered, sending a shuriken whizzing through the clone's forehead.

"Aw, you're breaking my heart," it hissed out before fading into nothingness.

A sudden commotion drew Shikamaru's attention back to his peers. Sasuke's eyes were wide.

"Sakura, don't—!"

It was too late, kunai flying towards the puppet. The explosive tag wrapped around the handle didn't escape the young genius' notice. '_Why would Sasuke be upset about th…?'_

The tag exploded, enveloping everything in a fiery haze much, much larger than it should have been.

Shikamaru stepped back, allowing his body to drop off the branch. The heat chased him downward.

_'Oh. _That's_ why.'_

He heard Sasuke shout Sakura's name and turned his head to see her falling as well. Shikamaru's blood chilled and he wasted no time springing into action, catching the petite woman's limp form and taking cover. The explosion died away, leaving behind billows of smoke. He noticed that most of the hairs on Sakura's arms had been singed away.

"Shit," he muttered, "That was unexpected, no wonder Sasuke wasn't using any ninjutsu."

Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she sat up with a groan. "Crap. I think I bumped my head."

Shikamaru grimaced. "You're going to have to tough it out. Just try not to die of internal hemorrhaging, okay?"

The pinkette rolled her eyes. "Good to know you care, Shikamaru. Did I at least nail the puppet?"

He frowned, unsure. Steeling himself, he jumped up to a less foliated branch, eyes sharp. Sasuke was heaving himself to his knees, his lean body peppered with eerie black markings.

_'Well, that can't be good…_'

There! The puppet lay on a branch straight across from him, one arm missing and its shaggy hair burned away. Creaking like a rusted door hinge, it moved upright and settled its eyes on Shikamaru's form. Through the haze of smoke, it seemed to snarl and rushed at him. It didn't get far.

Karasu creaked to a stop and Kankuro felt his own body become stiff.

The ponytailed teen appeared as bored as ever. "Kagemane no Jutsu."

Kankuro's muscles were not responding; they were as unyielding as a bar of iron. "What… what is this technique?" The Suna shinobi wondered out loud, voice grinding out from Karasu's jaw.

Finally, Shikamaru allowed himself a smirk. "It's a jutsu exclusive to my clan. I've caught you within my shadow, and I don't think you'll be able to overpower my chakra."

_'Gods, Leafs sure are dumb. They're the only ninja I know that go around preaching the inner workings of their techniques. Should've kept your mouth shut, kid.'_ Kankuro's painted lips curled and he cut off the chakra circulating to his hands.

Shikamaru's eyes widened in shock as the puppeteer suddenly seemed to vanish. Karasu collapsed, its strings cut.

"Shit! He got away!" He scowled, racing forward to claim the marionette.

"What?" Sakura shouted from below, "What do you mean 'he got away'?"

"I mean he somehow slipped free of my jutsu! Damn it!" Shikamaru felt furious at himself as he dropped down to Sakura's side again. The pug joined them.

"Relax. We've got his puppet. What can he do without it?" The dog asked.

Shikamaru groaned. "You've doomed me with that question. It's like 'what could be worse;' things can always get worse, Pakkun."

Sasuke yelled suddenly. "Gr-ugh! Son of a—!"

"…Like that," the lazy genin sighed exasperatedly.

Sakura gasped. "Sasuke-kun!"

Shikamaru ground his teeth. "I'll deal with it. You focus on dismantling that marionette!"

Sasuke was struggling hard, forcing his shaking legs to dodge again and again. He glared, furious at his opponent as much as himself. The Cursed Seal of Heaven throbbed, a sweet ache that inflamed his skin. The Last Uchiha was tiring and the seal was a siren call to his crying muscles. He could hear the puppeteer hack a humorless laugh.

"You guys are better than I thought! I was hoping I wouldn't have to use Kuroari, but thanks to your little girlfriend I guess the Ant had to come marching in, after all!"

No doubt the Suna shinobi was as angry as a kicked anthill, but like hell he was going display his fury in anything but his fists—or strings, rather. The shadow-manipulator was approaching fast, dismay etched into his forehead at the sight of the new puppet.

Kuroari fell apart.

Kankuro couldn't suppress the grin that threatened to split his face as the limbs-turned swords slashed at the two Konoha ninja. The Uchiha dodged again while the Nara opted to block the poison-weeping blades with kunai.

He'd hated abandoning Karasu to the enemy; the puppet had been sturdy and reliable for years, but it was a small price to pay to ensure that he overpowered his opponent. However attached he was to the Crow, rare and irreplaceable, it was still just a tool.

Experimentally, he rotated his pinky finger and was rewarded with a feminine shriek of surprise. He watched as Shikamaru scowled, his expression bordering on panicked at the sound of his teammate's distress. Kankuro hoped that all sorts of horrible scenarios were rushing through the pony-tailed genin's head, when in fact all he'd done was make Karasu's limbs twitch. It wasn't unlike applying electricity to a dead frog, really.

Sasuke had made another attempt at fire justu, desperate. Kuroari's arms sliced through the air, avoiding the flames with deadly grace.

"Are you nuts, Uchiha?" Shikamaru shouted, narrowly avoiding decapitation. The chakra-devouring flames had proved to be an almost fatal distraction. "Haven't you copied anything more subtle with those damn, fancy eyes of yours? Jeez!"

Something wet surrounded Kankuro's ankle.

Kuroari come to a dead stop.

Slowly, Kankuro turned his head around to stare at the droopy-eyed canine gumming his calf. _'The dog… I forgot about the stupid dog!'_ Out loud, he said:

"Well, well, if it isn't the ugly little mutt that thinks he's cute. Forget your dentures today?"

Pakkun growled and bit harder, twisting his neck in an attempt to draw blood. He was unsuccessful.

"Get _off_ me, you slobberpuss! This is pathetic _and_ disgusting!"

It was more than enough time for Sasuke to come flying in and land a punch.

Kankuro reeled back, his hold on Kuroari vanishing as he lifted his hand to cup his eye. The initial hit was quickly followed by a second and a third and a fourth. Sasuke was careful not to let up on his assault, determined to beat the foreigner to a pulp and not give an inch in the possibility of defense.

However, Kankuro was an elite; as the son of the Fourth Kazekage, great nephew of the Third, and grandson of the Second, the puppeteer was of an even higher caliber than the Uchiha heir, his lineage bordering on royalty; it didn't take the Suna shinobi long to get a foot in and retaliate against the blows peppering his body.

Kankuro's elbow collided with the underside of Sasuke's jaw. The Uchiha fell back, using the force to perform a backflip and land upright. Kankuro kept his fists just below eye-level, matching the black-haired teen's glare with his own. There was a tense moment between them before they charged at one another, arms arcing forward.

Kankuro caught the fist aiming at his jaw. Sasuke caught the knuckles threatening the crash into his cheekbone. The two males glared at one another, caught in a deadlock.

A new voice shattered the tense atmosphere.

"Kankuro! You big dumbass!"

He whipped around, his expression brightening with relief. "Temari! Kudagitsune!"

Sasuke's fist sailed into his nose.

**End Chapter 17**


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

In the end, the tunnels were their only option. Konoha's walls were high and wide and neither Udon nor Moegi were sure what direction they were in. They'd come across another tunnel and were debating on whether or not to use it when a team of Suna shinobi nearly walked into them. Moegi had grabbed her friend's hand and pulled him into the cavern without a second thought.

They were hopelessly lost. They had no way of knowing what was going on above their heads; was the Hokage allright? Was Konohamaru injured or… worse? Were the enemy forces, perhaps, winning the battle? Moegi swiped away stray tears. They were afraid to find out.

Udon had never been able to smell well, and with Meogi's sinuses still stuffed from crying, they had been unfortunate enough to discover where the tunnels collided with the sewers. It was at least ten different kinds of gross that Moegi had never wanted to encounter. Thank goodness for Ebisu-sensei's obsession with the basics of ninja training, it did wonders for their chakra control. Without that excessive training, the two would have been hip deep in shit—literally.

"Hey," the carrot-haired girl said, lifting her arm to point. "What's that?"

Udon lifted the match in his fingers higher, stretching the light further along the walls. What had at first seemed to be just another shadow revealed itself to be a staircase made of old, crumbling brick.

"There's a door there," the boy said.

"There is? Oh, thank goodness!" Moegi exclaimed, hurrying forward. "Finally, a way out!"

"Ah, Moegi-chan!" Udon exclaimed. She felt around the frame for a handle and tried to pull the door open. Udon stopped her, placing one hand firmly on the wood. "Don't go opening strange doors! We don't know what could be on the other side!"

She glared at him. "At this point, I'm past caring about that. Its stinks and I want out of this place. We have to reach the surface sometime, and I am not trudging through that slop a second time. No way, no how!" She yanked the door open.

Udon quickly lit another match as the previous one tried to gutter out at the influx of air. He grunted in displeasure.

Moegi made a funny groan. "Mm, fresh air! Come on, Udon-kun!"

"Don't pull me!"

The young kunoichi looked around in wonder while the boy suprerssed a moan of despair. He'd heard the door click shut and lock behind them. Holding the match where the handle should have been, he saw only an empty keyhole. There was no going back if something bad materialized. They were as good as trapped.

Resigning himself to their fate, Udon joined Moegi in examining their surroundings, his eyes widening marginally. Mirroring scrollshelves faded out of what at first seemed to be another black hallway. Everything was covered in a coat of dust so thick the two genin wondered for a short moment if they had temporarily gone colorblind.

Somewhat timidly, Udon reached out to pick up one of the books, pulling it out from its tightly wedged placeing by the top of its spine. The covers didn't follow the pages and he let the tome drop to the floor in surprise as spiders scrambled about, their webs disturbed. Udon hadn't expected bugs; everything was too quiet, too still.

A stack of forgotten books rose from the floor. Mushrooms flowered from the top one's cover.

"Where are we?" Moegi whispered. "It looks like a library."

"I think it is," Udon assured her.

"But what library? It definitely can't be the shinobi library, or even the civilian one. I've seen Konohamaru's family library, it's immaculate, nothing like this. Do you think maybe…" he brow furrowed, "Could it be the Uchiha Library?"

The brunette boy bit his lip. "Makes sense; it could be, but… it seems older. Look at the dust: these scrolls have been undisturbed for more than one decade. And look," he placed a hand on his teammate's shoulder and steered her toward one of the bigger scrolls, "The handle is scalloped. Scrolls haven't been decorated like that since the Shodaime's reign. These are ancient."

"Nerd," Moegi muttered teasingly, "So… these are probably pretty valuable, ne?"

"Very," he nodded, "Important too, by the looks of them." Then, almost as an afterthought, "These belong in a museum."

"So what are they doing forgotten down here?"

Udon straightened, lips puckered. "Why are you asking me? Just because I'm smart doesn't mean I have the answer to everything," He muttered.

"It was a rhetorical question, dummy."

His expression softened, but the sulking pout didn't completely fade.

"I guess we should get back to walking," Moegi said at last, brushing wrinkles and dust off her skirt.

Udon nodded. "No way out but forward." He glanced back at his teammate, eyes widening as she reached to pull a scroll off of its shelf.

"Stop!" he cried, luncging forward, clamping his fingers around her wrist.

The redheaded girl looked at her friend in surprise. "What?"

"Don't touch them!" He gasped.

"Why? This could be monumental. We should take one with us!"

"Are you blind?" Udon scolded. "Use your eyes!"

She followed the line of his finger, eyes settling on a thread glowing gold in the light of the match. She scoffed. "What are you freaking out about? It's just a spider's web."

"Idiot! Spider thread is sticky. With all this dust, it'd be dull in no time. That one is still shiny."

What little color was still visible in the kunoichi's face vanished. "Booby trapped," she muttered.

"I think so."

"Drat," She pulled back as if stung.

"Come on, let's find a way out of here."

She nodded and followed after him, unable to resist a blackward glance.

* * *

Using the enemy's weapon when he had no idea what it could do was not one of Konohamaru's best decisions. At all. Granted, it wasn't his idea and he really ought to prank Shino to Kingdom Come and back when this entire fiasco was over, but he didn't have to _do_ it. When did he ever do what he was told, after all?

_'I am never listening to an adult again, it causes nothing but trouble,_' he promised himself.

"Look out! Get out of its way! You _want_ to die, dummy?" he shouted to the ninja that hadn't bolted at the sight of the demon's ugly mug.

The blasted ogre was causing all sorts of damage. Sure, a number of Sound and Sand shinobi were being crushed under its clumsy feet, but so were Leaf ninja. Her winced as it started pounding its meaty fists into the arena wall and decided against using the flute again, for fear of making things worse than they already were.

Another bad decision Konohamaru had made was letting himself get distracted by the warty, bandaged beast. His cheekbone made fast friends with Tayuya's knuckles.

'_This is probably the second-worst day of my life_,' the young Sarutobi bemoaned, reeling back.

Several bug-ferrying shuriken ripped into the redheaded kunoichi's side. Taking advantage of the situation, Konohamaru rushed forward, fist springing toward her to give her a bruise to mirror the one she gave him.

She caught his fist...

Then she stole her flute back.

"Thanks, rat!" She sneered, shoving him away. Her face glowed with unrestrained joy.

"No!" Konohamaru cried. He scrambled to his feet, but it was too late. She leapt away, even managing to avoid the shuriken Shino sent her way.

Tayuya cradled the flute lovingly, looking at it like a mother reunited with her long-lost child, and raised it to her lips. The metal was warm and a bit wet, no doubt from the brat playing it, but something was wrong. The flute was not emitting any sound and since was metal… soft? Tayuya opened her eyes.

"AAAAAARGH!"

The four and a half foot shadow clone stared up at her dazedly. "My kiss… did-did you just steal my first kiss? You just stole my first kiss!"

"_Your_ first kiss?" She screeched furiously. Her cheeks matched her hair. "What about _mine_, you little fucker? Argh, I've been violated! What is _wrong_ with you? Where's my flute?"

The clone jutted its thumb over its shoulder. "Oh, the real me still has it. Hey, just wondering, what are you doing after the invasion? You like ramen?"

"Midget _bastard_!" She exclaimed, driving her fist into the crown of his head. The clone vanished in a cloud of smoke. "You awful, evil, perverted little bastard! I hate you! I seriously fucking hate you!" Her eyes widened at the sight of her hand, still hovering where the boy's head had been.

"My power! Level one? Why am I… those bugs! Those stupid, goddamned chakra-eating _leeches_! I can't believe it! I can't fucking believe it! You Leaf ninja really suck! I hate you _so much_!" She whipped her hand across her eyes, swiping away angry tears.

Shino, who had been keeping his distance and attacking from afar, suddenly tensed, lifting a kunai up to block the one coming down at his neck. Glasses met glasses. Shino's eyebrows pulled into a frown.

"Yakushi Kabuto,"

The silver-haired man smiled, a sinisterly polite curling of the lips. His Konoha hitae-ate had been replaced with a Sound one. "Sorry, Aburame-san, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut in on this dance. I can't have Tayuya dying just yet, you understand."

Shino's insects hummed their host's anger. "Traitor,"

"Now really, 'traitor' is such a demeaning word. I prefer to think of it as… open minded." His smile would have fooled a teary-eyed crocodile. Kabuto vanished in a blur of speed, reappearing by Tayuya's side, hand gripping her upper arm. "Time to go, Tayuya."

"No way!" She snarled. "I'm not going anywhere until those two are _dead_!"

"_Tayuya_."

Something in his voice caused her to go ridged. His knuckles were ashen as he squeezed her shoulder, though he retained his smile. "We don't have time for your petty revenge. You can kill them at a later date. We're going _now_, and it'll be easier to retreat if I don't have an unconscious _bitch_ slung over my shoulder. Understand?"

Tayuya paled somewhat. "But… my flute…"

"I'll get you a new one. A better one."

Begrudingly, the redhead grunted her assent.

Shino threw a handful of shuriken, but the two had vanished. Konohamaru materialized by the bug-user's side, looking misplaced. Tauya's flute remained in his hand. The demon dispelled into smoke, as what little chakra kept it there faded.

No one was fighting anymore. A cry rang through the arena.

"Orochimaru is dead!"

* * *

Hiruzen had hoped that it would have ended simply. That Orochimaru would make the fatal mistake of underestimating his opponents and allow Kusanagi to slip between his ribs like a lobster crawling into the cage the fisherman had set out.

Of course, Orochimaru was far too clever for that. A perfectly timed _Doton: Doryuheki_ blasted apart the cage of staffs and deflected the incoming Kusanagi blade.

Hiruzen swore, chasing the earthen wall with a weak lightning jutsu. He cut it off short when he sensed the water seeping across the rooftop, which was quickly soaked up with the Mokuton jutsu being preformed by the Shodaime's corpse and one of Hiruzen's own ninja.

"Not good enough, old man!" Orochimaru crowed, emerging like a slimey, placenta-covered fetus from his own mouth. His now empty skin collapsed under his feet like paper. Forming a handseal, his neck stretched away from his body, writhing its way toward the Sandaime Hokage.

Hiruzen allowed a hideous scowl to mar his aged features, holding the Adamantine Staff close to his body. "You should know you can't harm me with direct attacks like that, my foolish pupil!"

"You're right about that much!" the pale-skinned man called, but his voice didn't emerge from the _rokurokubi_-necked body. Hiruzen whirled on the ball of his foot, looking over his shoulder in time to see an earth clone descending on him. The flash of panic never came as he saw Tsutsuma leap upon the beast, his fangs rendering it a useless mix of water and soil.

In the crook of Hiruzen's arm, Enma lurched, blocking Orochimaru as his extended face made a lunge at the aged Sarutobi. Brought back to reality, the Hokage turned, swiping Kusanagi at his former student once again, this time using wind natured chakra to extend its reach.

Orochimaru allowed the sword to skim his cheek as he thrusted a kunai at the older man, managing to dig the tip into the inside of Sarutobi's elbow.

Tsutsuma's tongue lolled out of his maw, bits of foamy saliva beginning to collect in the corners of his mouth as the snakes' venom spread. The Hokage had little doubt that it would prove fatal if the fox wasn't attended to soon.

_'That can't be allowed to happen,'_ he thought gravely, _'If Tsutsuma were to die defending me, then Naruto… Naruto would…'_

It didn't bear thinking about.

Grinding his teeth, Hiruzen leapt into pursuit, holding Kusanagi's handle in his armpit as his fingers flew through handseals. He inhaled deeply through his nose.

"_Katon: Karyu Endan_!"

The great, serpentine beast burst from between his lips, a fierce, cracking roar of sun-white flames with eyes like coals and phantom teeth hot enough to melt an iron wall. Orochimaru's eyes widened in horror as he realized it would bake right through any mud he hid in.

"Blazing Shuriken Dance!"

They gleamed around the fiery dragon like falling meteorites. They were too close for Orochimaru to outrun—he wouldn't be able to gain the velocity in time. Cringing, the fallen Sannin covered his face with his arms and took the devastating blow.

Screaming was inevitable. His skin grew red, then charred black, shriveling, hissing, and bubbling as the water in his body was forced to evaporate. Fat cells liquidized and began to cook. His scalp was bare, black hair burned to meager ashes; eyelids crisping, his clothing wisps of nothing.

Hiruzen watched with grim eyes and forced himself not to glance away. The heat distorted the air and created illusions. He couldn't relax yet, couldn't assume that the battle was won even though he was sure that it was. His joints ached with arthritis, but he couldn't rest them, not yet, _not yet_.

At last the fire dragon dissipated, leaving behind a roasted and blackened body. Orochimaru's mouth opened one last time…

…A moon-pale hand emerged from the orofice, soon followed by another. The Hokage's body filled with nerve-numbing dread.

"You… you no good, senile, wretched old man!" Orochimaru rasped, pushing the flaking, blackened, flesh away from his fresh body. His golden eyes glowed with distain. "Damn you, Sarutobi-sensei! Oh, how I hate you! Damn you! Damn you!"

_'Perhaps he really has discovered the secret to immortality,_' Hiruzen thought, horrified. "You're a monster."

Tsutsuma seemed to have caught a bit of his breath and came at Orochimaru's back, two of his three tails reaching ahead. The third dragged behind the reynard limply. Orochimaru didn't even scream as the fox's jaws clamped around the nape of his neck, the agony of being burned alive still fresh.

Enma, the Monkey King, abandoned his staff form to deal the finishing blow. His thick fingers clamped around the snake-Sannin's face, applying bone-crushing force to his skull. Orochimaru glared between the ape's fingers, his neck softening and extending once again. Enma grasped at the man's neck. Tsutsuma tugged and thrashed. Blood dripped.

Hissing furiously, his features taking on a more animalistic appearance, Orochimaru stuck out his tongue, looping the thick, purple muscle around Hiruzen in a blood-constraining grasp.

"Sarutobi!" Enma called, redoubing his efforts on strangling the serpentine man. He punched, clawed, and kicked at Orochimaru's torso.

Hiruzen felt persperation trickle into the crevaces of his wrinkled face. His ribs were poking at organs, his fingers were turning purple; Orochimaru squeezed tighter, forcing him to cough and his lungs shrank. His mouth filled with the taste of blood.

Gathering up every ounce of strength he possessed, Hiruzen moved. Kusanagi cut effortlessly through the tongue, halving it.

Orochimaru reeled back, neck shrinking back in shock; he screamed, a wispy, inhuman sound. Encouraged by the noise, Tsutsuma, whose legs were pressed harshly against the Sannin's lower back, _kicked_.

The lily-skinned man's scream flickered and went out like a candle flame caught in a gust. Hiruzen couldn't stop the shudder that enveloped him at the deep snapping noise reverberating throughout the area. The younger male went limp from the ribs down and he collapsed to the rooftop tiles bonelessly.

One of ninja that had been guarding Orochimaru cried out, struggling futilesly against the ANBU that bound him. "Orochimaru-sama!"

Enma kept a firm grip on the fallen, S-class, missing-nin, "Sarutobi,"

So much weight came with his name. Hiruzen understood immediately, stepping forward, Kusanagi poised to kill.

Unexpectedly, Tsutsuma snarled, blood and froth smeared across his grey muzzle. The Hokage paused, eyebrows raised, while Enma growled back at the reynard.

The kitsune closed its teeth around Orochimaru's head. The man continued to gasp, his arms twitching feebly.

"What are you doing?" Enma demanded, "Stop. He is not yours to kill!"

"Enma," Hiruzen spoke up.

The great primate looked at his summoner.

"It doesn't matter."

_Crunch._

The prisoner of war screamed wordlessly, tears rolling shamelessly down his cheeks.

Tsutsuma opened his mouth, allowing the cadaver's head to fall to the tile. The fox's entire demeanor relaxed, exhaling a heavy sigh through his nose. His eyes closed and he leaned forward into Enma's large, flat hand. His breath came in shallow wheezes.

Hiruzen was exhausted, but, while the war, barely begun, was already over, the battle for survival was not yet ensured. There were casualties to document, injured to tend to, lives to save, and Tsutsuma could not be allowed to die.

"Medic," he muttered, "No, vet. Veteranarian. Veteranarian! Inuzuka Tsume! Someone get me Inuzuka Tsume, now!" His lungs fluttered and he coughed blood and phegm.

With Orochimaru dead, the power of the revived corpses of the First and Second Hokages was gone; their bodies reduced to ash and the sacrified bodies of two Oto genin. His ANBU rushed to him.

"Hokage-sama!"

He shrugged off the eagle-masked ninja coming at him with glowing fingertips. "Don't worry about me yet. This fox has been poisoned. He needs to be tended to immediately."

They hesitated. "Hokage-sama…"

"Immediately!' he shouted, bringing on another bout of coughing. "This is an order. It is not up for debate. I'm not going to keel over just yet. If that fox isn't healed, we may bring the wrath of the Demon Prince upon our walls. So bring Inuzuka Tsume and the head of the hospital here at once."

They were stunned.

"Now!"

They shot off like a flock of startled sparrows. Eagle lingered behind, holding his hands up again. "At least let me do something for your lungs, Sandaime-sama."

Hiruzen looked around his village. The fighting was almost over now. The closest enemy was the six-armed Oto boy, who was being guarded visciously by Cat and, somewhat surprisingly, Mitarashi Anko.

The aged Hokage allowed himself a sigh and allowed the ANBU to place his hands on Sarutobi's back. "Very well."

It was then, with chakra as green as spring grass soothing his overworked muscles as it probed, that his mind caught up with the adrenaline.

Orochimaru was dead.

**End Chapter 18**

Rokurokubi_- A kind of yokai found in Japanese folklore. They look like normal human beings by day, but at night they gain the ability to stretch their necks to great lengths. They can also change their faces to those of terrifying oni/demons to better scare mortals. They are usually female. Just one of many monsters Kishimoto has incorporated into his characters, in this case, Orochimaru._


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

The maze never seemed to end. Towers of bookshelves and scrollshelves surrounded them, going on, and on, _and on_ into the dust-heavy darkness. They had no light but Udon's box of matches and the occasional, strange, glowing fungus to guide them. Udon was ready to dash his head against the floor. But, considering that doing such a thing would be more likely to give him a headache instead of relieving his frustration, he restrained himself.

Moegi was starting to look rebellious. She had never been bookish, not the way Udon was, but it was increasingly clear that she _itched_ to find out what was in those scrolls. Her fingers curled and uncurled; a twitchy habit of hers that always made Udon irritated, even if it _was_ a step up from biting her nails like she used to.

"I see you over there!" A voice jumped out the darkness, startling both preteens. The soft orange glow of a lantern emerged, somewhere far ahead.

Moegi clung to her teammate warily, while Udon lifted his match up higher.

Tentatively, he called out, "Hello?" But the owner of the voice did not reply. The young boy pressed his lips into a thin line and moved to find a way toward the light.

"Wait!"

He stopped, looking back at Moegi's wide eyes.

"What if… what if it's a _Will-o-Wisp_?" She said.

Udon couldn't stop the onslaught of blood rushing to his knees. A Will-o-Wisp, seeking to lead them astray in this horrible literary maze until they died—He wasn't sure what a spiritual fire like that would be doing down in a place like this, but it's not like it was impossible, was it? In fact, he thought it likely.

The brunette boy swallowed through the knot in his throat, which suddenly felt parched. "It-it's the only lead we have, Moegi-chan."

Her expression became pained, but she nodded anyway, tightening her hold on his arm. Her reached over to her with his free hand and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze.

They continued walking in circles, using the light as a sort of compass, noting with some alarm that it occasionally moved, which only served to increase their fear that it was indeed some sort of kitsunebi that had wandered in from the forests. However, when they turned one final corner, a sigh of relief escaped them both.

A short, mousy-looking old man stood on a stepladder, pulling out and rearranging scrolls in a seemingly random manner. A fine coat of dust had collected in his thin, white hair and enormous glasses. He looked over at them the moment Udon's match spluttered out.

"There you are!"

Udon gave the old man a weak smile and Moegi made a half-hearted attempt at waving. Their relief was palpitable; it took all their energy to keep upright.

"I've been waiting, you know. I was beginning to think you'd never come!"

Udon frowned. Somehow, he doubted that the librarian was really talking about Moegi and him. The redheaded girl sensed her friend's change of mood and straightened.

"What's your name, ojii-san?" Udon asked.

"Fame? You're famous, m'boy?" The librarian was deaf then.

"No! What's your _name_!" Udon and Moegi both shouted.

"I suppose there _is_ a lot to gain by becoming famous. But that sort of thing does not interest me, oh no, no, no! If I were famous like you, why, I'd have no time to read my precious books! What are your names, hrrm?"

The two preteen exchanged glances and sighed. Moegi gave her companion a firm nudge in the side.

"Udon."

"Futon? What a curious name! Now, is it written as the sort of futon you sleep on or the jutsu kind, hrrm?"

The falsely dubbed "Futon" sighed in exasperation. Reluctantly, Moegi spoke up.

"And I'm Moegi."

"Aniki? Oh no, my dear boy, I can't call you that; I am much older than you! I'm sure, hrrm! Really now, what is your name?"

"Moegi!"

"Maki, hrrm? Well, that's a girly name for a boy! Really, what were your parents thinking, I wonder? Oh well, I'm sure they had their reasons for giving you such a name. I am Matsuo Basho. You may call me Matsuo-jii-san! I have been waiting for you for ages! I was beginning to think you'd never come!"

Udon resisted the urge to groan, despite the fact that the librarian probably wouldn't have been able to hear it. "I really don't think we're the people you're thinking of, sir."

"Yes, I know you're the one's I've been expecting. You don't have to tell me that, Futon-san! It's quite obvious!" he piled the loose scrolls he had taken down on the table nearby and picked up the lamp. "Well, your master's order is this way; follow me!"

There really was no other choice for the two genin. Udon took Moegi's hand in his and trotted after the bookkeeper that moved just like he looked: mousey. Matsuo was surprisingly quick for his age and hunched stature, scuttling through the maze with a single-minded purpose. In several moments, he accomplished what Udon and Moegi felt it had taken ages for them to do. The air grew less stale, and Udon knew they were close to an exit—a cleaner one than the one by the sewer. However, any doors or windows remained firmly out of sight as the ancient librarian led them to a particularly messy area.

The bookshelves and scrollshelves had considerable distance between them, leaving a wide, green-carpeted study space open. Though it couldn't be truly called "open;" papers, tomes, scrolls, and inkpots were scattered all over in some sort of organized chaos. The mess, however, was not what caught the two preteens eyes. No, what stood out was a big, polished, stone tablet.

Matsuo hung his lamp from a hook attached to one of the bookshelves and began sorting through the mess of papers at the tablet's base until finally pulling up a small red scroll and a larger goldenrod one.

A wide smile transformed his face into a landscape as he went back to the children.

"Well, here it is, as commissioned, completely decoded and translated." He said, pushing the scrolls into Udon and Moegi's hands. "That man, you know, he thought that all that the tablet had to reveal could all be seen with dojutsu, but there was much, much more! I whittled it all out, as promised. Fascinating, mind blowing, really. It was not easy, oh no, not easy at all, especially as I have not a single bloodline within me, but I am a master of words, nothing written can escape me for long, no matter how well hidden!" Matuso's voice quivered with passion. "I found it; I found it all! I _am_ a master of words, after all!"

Moegi looked at the scroll in her hands worriedly. "Found what?"

"No need to thank me, Maki-san! Even though it took longer than planned, your master does not need to pay me extra! I enjoyed the project! Really! So it is not necessary! Although I admit I am done with it now and can move on to other things!" Still smiling, Matsuo took his lamp down. "Come now, you should exit this way! It is the fastest way out."

Though they were eager to leave, Udon and Moegi were hesitant to follow.

"Don't worry about the tablet!" The librarian called over his shoulder. "I'll take care of it and get it back to the Uchiha Compound. It will be like it never was gone! I made a replacement, a fake, didn't your master tell you?"

_That_ startled them into action.

Moegi's eyes were as wide as teacups. "Uchiha Compound?" She whispered, unsure whether to feel amazed or horrified.

Udon shook his head in reply, clueless, but looking down at the scrolls in their hands with renewed awe. Whatever was in those scrolls was no doubt something very important and very secret. He was unsure if Matsuo was aware that the Uchiha clan was extinct save for Sasuke and he was unsure if it mattered.

"We should take these straight to Hokage-sama." He muttered to Moegi.

She nodded firmly.

Compared to how long it took for them to find Matsuo, it seemed to take no time at all to reach the main lobby, which was alight with candles and grime-yellowed lamps. The remainder of the library behind them was swallowed into darkness.

Finally, Matsuo put out his lamp, opening the double-doors slowly. He poked his snowy-haired head out, glancing around, though if his glasses were any indication, he was as blind as he was deaf. Seemingly satisfied with what he saw, he turned back to the two youngsters.

"Well! Here you are then! Keep those scrolls safe, Makon-san, Fuki-san!"

They nodded and hurried out.

"Sayonara!"

The door closed and they heard and saw librarian Matsuo Basho no more.

Udon and Moegi took in large gulps of clean, dust-free air.

"Where are we now?" The redheaded girl wondered out loud. The area, while modern and apparently frequented, was without windows and the many doors without labels or even numbers.

"Dunno," Udon replied, "Let's look around and find out."

Moegi, able to see it in the proper light, began brushing dust and cobwebs off her clothing as they walked, immensely glad no crawling, leggy bugs had attached themselves to her skirts or hair. Udon didn't bother; dust couldn't make his nose any more stuffy than it always was.

They soon found a stairwell leading upward and took it, sprinting up three flights of steps before checking out the new floor. Jackpot; the hallway they now found themselves in lead to a window overlooking a forested area at their left, and an arena to their right.

"I know where we are!" Udon exclaimed happily. "We're in the Tower in the Forest of Death!"

Moegi groaned. "Of all the lousy places!"

* * *

There was dirt on her cheeks, twigs in her hair, and a reddening scuff on the tip of her chin. Her signature fan was missing. Her teal eyes were hard and glinting and her lips were turned downward in a frown that would make even a Kage tremble.

Yeah, Temari was definitely angry.

Sasuke, Pakkun, and Shikamaru suddenly felt like insects in the presence of a very large predator. They prayed her attention remained on her unfortunate sibling.

Funny, how the mere presence of a woman can bring order to the most chaotic of situations.

"_Please_ tell me you changed your mind about being a neutral!" Kankuro exclaimed, oblivious or perhaps just turning a blind eye, to the approaching woman's rage. "You did, right? Because," her fist came down on the top of his head, "—ow! Temari!"

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! How'd I get saddled with a dumbass brother like you, huh?" Temari chastitized.

"Uh, luck of the draw?"

The blonde whacked him on the crown of the head again. "This is no time for your smartass remarks!"

"Yeow! Look, whatever the fox told you, I didn't do it, I swear!" Though the creature emitted no sound, the paint-faced ninja was sure that the pipe fox perched on his sister's shoulder was laughing at him.

"Tch," Sasuke spat at the display of sibling disipline, "Stopping and talking to your partner only delays the inevitable, stupid."

"Hey!" Temari snapped. "Watch it, kid." The trio, and the dog, withered under her flashing sea-green glare.

"Scary," breathed Sakura.

"Sasuke," Shikamaru whispered to his, seemingly, unfazed partner. "Don't make any sudden movements. You might anger it."

"Shut it, Pineapple-Head!" The spiky haired blonde bellowed.

Sakura, though her female status prevented her from being as paralyzed as her peers, was still greatly intimidated by the older kunoichi. "Very scary."

"Look," Sasuke drawled, "I don't care that you've turned my team into a bunch of whining puppies, but I was in the middle of something with the guy with the face paint—"

"It's not face paint!" Kankuro snapped, annoyed at his kabuki designs being mocked a second time.

Sasuke deadpanned. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"You're going to pay for that, Uchiha brat!" Kankuro roared, lunging at the smug genin. "I'm going to kill you, jaan!"

"Kankuro!" Temari yelled, smacking him over the head once again.

"Oi! Temari! What was that for?" He whined. "I'm going to end that kid!"

"We're not going to do anything," She anunciated. "We're going to wait until Naruto gives the 'okay'."

" Naruto? Who the heck is Naru… aw, man, you're on a first name basis with that freak?"

"You bet I am! What were you…" She paused. "That's the Uchiha kid?"

"Yeah." Her brother nodded his head across the clearing. "He's not that bad either."

"Huh." Temari raised an eyebrow and gave Sasuke an once-over. "He doesn't look like much."

"And you're changing the subject."

"So?"

Kankuro folded his arms, grumbling discontentedly. Something nudged his shoulder and he glanced over to see Kanko looking up at him expectantly.

"Huh? Oh, right," He said out loud, remembering the fan that the Demon Prince had given him for Temari. Sour-faced, he handed it over to his older sibling. "Here."

She took it gratefully, nodding appreciatively.

"So…" Sakura began hesitantly, "What now?"

Sasuke made a face, clearing wanting to pounce back into action.

Shikamaru, however, sighed. "We can't, in good consciousness, let you two Suna-nin go. Really it should be either you guys beating us into the dirt or us taking you as POWs, but seeing as you guys are the kids of the Kazekage, we'd just be setting ourselves up for a full-blown war if we did that." He didn't bother to mask his groan, "Man, why do _I_ always get caught up in this troublesome stuff?"

"I've got an idea for ya," Kankuro said, "Don't and say you did! You go back to your village and we'll go back to ours." He sneered, wrinkling his nose. "Or have you not realized what forest you're setting explosive jutsu off in?"

All three Leaf genin paled.

"T-the Demon Prince of Konoha," Sakura whispered, stricken with horror

Sasuke scoffed. "There's no such thing!"

Temari curled her lip in disgust. "I assure you, there is!"

"Like we'd believe anything _you_ have to say!" The Uchiha barked back.

Surprisingly, it was Pakkun that spoke up next. "Don't be so obtuse, Sasuke." The dog said knowingly, "Fairy tales don't just spring out of the ground. The person the Demon Prince of Konoha is based on was a real boy once."

"You're outvoted on this one, Uchiha," Shikamaru said breathily, "I'm with them. We should go back. Let them go and get eaten by a monster fox, I don't feel like being on some creature's dinner menu today."

The pug dog nodded. "This whole forest _reeks_ of foxes. The sooner we leave, the better."

The Nara looked harshly down at the ninken. "And you didn't think to tell us this before because…?"

Pakkun barked a short, mocking laugh, lifting his paw to point at Sasuke. "You think that would have gotten _him_ to change his mind? I guess I could've told you, if you were interested in failing the A-class retrival mission Kakashi told you to do."

Shikamaru graoned. "Don't say it like I _wanted_ to risk my hide for that ungrateful guy."

"Shikamaru!" Sakura chastitized.

Kankuro interrupted haughtily. "I don't you guys would really have to worry about that, not as long as _she_," here he jabbed his thumb in his sister's direction, "Is around."

This did not lessen the Leaf shinobi's fears.

Temari glared at her brother reproachfully. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kankuro rolled his eyes. "Don't play ignorant! You made out with him! He left a hicky on you or-or something!"

The blonde woman actually reeled back, staring aghast at her brother. "Are you nuts? As if something like _that_ would happen! He's-he's my friend, Naruto would never… well, I mean, he kissed me on the cheek that once, but…"

"Aha! See? I knew it! You're in some weird relationship with him! Well, I won't allow it!"

"Like you could tell me what to do!"

"Hey, guys…" Pakkun began nervously. He was ignored.

"What kind of name is 'Naruto,' anyway?" Kankuro pressed.

Temari's cheeks reddened with anger. "Shut up! You don't even know him!"

"He's a demon! That's all I _need_ to know!"

Sasuke grumbled fruitlessly, "There's no such person."

"Guys!" Pakkun tried again.

Sakura glanced over at the pug. "Huh?"

"INCOMING!"

A figure, blurred by speed, went crashing by.

"HIT THE GROUND!" Shikamaru yelled, pulling Sakura down with him as the group ducked and dropped, narrowly avoiding getting hit or pummeled by the broken branches and debris as well as the speeding figure. The genin were thoroughly scattered, but no one missed the resounding _thunk_ as the figure slammed into a tree trunk.

Temari had her torso pressed up against a different tree, covering her head with her hands. Warily, she gingerly lowered her hands and looked around, keeping close to the bark for protection. Her eyes fell upon the figure—or figure_s_, rather—that had crashed through the group.

"Naruto!" She exclaimed, surprised at his appearance. Her irises shrank to horrified pinpricks as she realized just _who_ his opponent was.

"Gaara!"

She moved without thinking, leaping up toward them only to be met with resistance; her head whipped back down.

"Don't be stupid, Temari!" Kankuro shouted, chakra strings glowing from his fingertips to her ankles. "You get involved with them you'll just end up dead!"

Her mind flashed back to something Naruto had said to her: "_It's different because it is a fight between _demons_."_ It felt like ages ago. She bit back her frustration and settled back down on a branch, wishing she could do more than watch.

* * *

Naruto had Gaara pinned against the enormous tree, his clawed fingers clasped tightly around the redhead's pale neck. The Suna Jinchuriki was more than halfway transformed, though his remaining arm was not yet fully covered with sand. One green eye was closed, teeth bared with both pain and hatred. Gaara lacked much of the physical prowess that the Demon Prince possessed. He had a slender neck, almost like a girl, and his frame was slight, not possessing the muscle buildup typical shinobi developed over the years of harsh training.

"You rely too heavily on that sand of yours," Naruto growled, his breath puffing across the redhead's disfigured face.

Gaara, his face reddening from a lack of oxygen, managed to bring his arm up and punch the blonde demon square in the jaw. It was enough to knock Naruto off of him.

"And you have no idea how to control chakra!" Gaara spat in return, pouncing.

The Demon Prince couldn't keep the scowl from his face. While it couldn't be said that he was a master of chakra like ninja or samurai, he was well enough adapted to its use to be able to use it effectively in battle. Doing that was _not_ possible, however, when his body was preparing for another tail. His chakra was unstable, chaotic, and defiant as it prepared to expand. During these months he was meant to be resting, taking it easy, powering down, but he could not do that now as he had in the past. Snarling, he pelted Gaara's sand-covered form with blades of wind.

Gaara countered it with a wind jutsu of his own, "Futon: Mugen Sajin Daitoppa!"

Naruto swore, narrowly avoiding the miniature sandstorm by swinging himself to the underside of the branch he was perched upon, using his tails as grappling hooks. He kicked off the branch, rocketing toward the ground. Frown still set firmly in place he glanced back up at his redheaded counterpart, watching the sand-covered teen jump after him.

He immediately fanned his tails out, halting his descent as he caught hold of the trees. Gaara did the same, although his heavier mass didn't allow him to stop crashing down until he was a good hundred feet lower than the Demon Prince's position, his sandy limb stretched out grotesquely.

The blonde's whiskers stood on end, twitching. His eyes widened and he leapt back up toward the treetops. There were people here, watching them! Fools! What were they doing? Didn't they know that they could be killed?

A red-clad figure shrieked and dove for cover when he passed, and Naruto was at least relieved to see that the lingering humans weren't suicidal enough to get involved.

Gaara was hot on his tails, and sent a wave of sand shuriken at the yellow-haired demon. Naruto hissed in pain as he drew his tails around him in a protective cocoon. Shukaku's arm stretched out and Naruto, not expecting the follow-up attack, found himself pinned tightly against yet another tree trunk, the wind knocked from his lungs.

Gaara's face twisted into a gleeful grin as he approached the Demon Prince, who gasped loudly in an attempt to refill his lungs.

"Yes!" the redhead crowed, "You're mine! Your blood belongs to me! Yes, I feel so _alive_! Come on, Demon Prince! I know you have more fight in you! Show it to me so that I may crush it!"

There was a ripple in the air surrounding Naruto and Gaara's grin widened in both joy and awed horror when the sandy claw fell apart. The air shimmered again and the blonde was gone, reappearing on the redhead's right, fire blazing around his hand as he drove his fist into the other male's cheekbone.

"You are too weak to have any chance of overcoming me, Gaara-san." Naruto said darkly, watching as his opponent staggered, sand swarming to the injured area on his face.

The words struck a nerve. "Who are you calling weak?" Gaara hissed. He lashed out at the blonde again, but Naruto vanished in a blur of color and displaced air. "Coward! Stop dodging and running away and face me like the demon you are!"

"I _am_ fighting like a demon, Gaara-san," The Demon Prince's voice whispered in his ear. Gaara whipped around, eyes wide, but the other male was nowhere to be seen. "It is _you_ who is fighting like a human. You _are_ human."

The redhead's heartstrings tightened painfully. '_Human…'_ No one had ever told him he was human.

_"Monster!"_

_"Freak!"_

_"Weirdo!"_

_"Demon!"_

_"Hell child!"_

_Yashamaru smiled down at him. "You are not a monster, Gaara-sama."_ But that had just been a lie too, hadn't it?

_"You're just a failed experiment."_

Not being a monster was not the same as being human, and human was something that Gaara knew he was not. The redheard roared in fury and anguish, slashing at the trees.

"No, I'm not!" He cried out like an ill-tempered child, "I'm not! I never was!"

Naruto burst from the trees from above, his tails twisting about to pin Gaara to the bark of the tree.

"No, we are not the same, Gaara-san." The blonde said firmly.

Gaara thrashed, his tail managing to catch his counterpart in the gut, sending the Demon Prince flying across the canopy. The redhead found himself too angry to form words, chasing after the other male. The sand covering his arm fell away, slinking around his body. His closed both of his human hands around the Demon Prince's neck, his knuckles ashen.

"Die!" He managed to choke out. "I want you to die!"

Naruto reached up, clasping his fingers around Gaara's thin wrists. His sharp, inhuman nails dug into the fragile flesh, drawing blood. Gaara screamed, but did not let go.

"You know what the difference between us is?" Naruto bit out, unsurprised when his counterpart didn't respond vocally, "The difference is," his tails curled around him and slammed into the redhead's weakly protected stomach with the force of a battering ram, "You're alone! You chose to be alone!"

"No!" Gaara cried, an edge of hysteria lining his voice as he stumbled back. "They forced me! I never wanted to be alone! They made me! They did it! It wasn't my choice!"

"You gave up on them."

"No!"

"You gave in to them."

The sand curled back over the redhead's limbs, covering him like a fast-growing parasite until only his legs were visible. Dark blue veins pulsed throughout his figure: the only visible signs of the seals that kept the Ichibi bound. Gaara's pale green eyes were gone, replaced by two brass irises afloat in a sea of inky black. Shukaku was slowly becoming the dominant force in Gaara's mind.

Naruto growled softly at the transformation and crouched down on all fours. He bared his teeth.

Then he heard a soft gasp.

The hairs on the back of the Demon Prince's neck stood up. He felt his stomach drop. Muscles tense, he turned his head in the direction of the gasp, his eyes alighting on a pink-haired kunoichi and her black-haired, _red-eyed _companion.

Naruto's eyes widened, feeling recognition seep slowly into his pores, quickly followed by the purest hate he had ever felt. Gaara was a forgotten entity of no consequence. Kyubi was thrashing, roaring, _screaming_.

"_Uchiha_," he growled ferally, whiskers standing on end, veins in his eye bursting to dye his gaze blood red.

What little color there was to the black-haired young man's face abruptly vanished, "Wha—?"

"**_Uchiha Madara!_**" He howled—no, it wasn't him, wasn't his voice, wasn't his rage; it was _father_. The ninth tail's chakra boiled through his circulatory systems, destabilizing the already delicate process he was going through to make that chakra his own, and Naruto's consciousness was suddenly plunged into a dark abyss as Kyubi forcibly took control.

**End Chapter 19**

* * *

_The Librarian is named after one of Japan's most coveted poets, Matsuo Basho, who traveled the country writing haikus during the late 1600s._

_For the record, "Kitsunebi" does not always refer to fox fire magic. While it usually has magic foxes as its source, it is just as often the misleading flames that lost travelers follow into swamps/woods. In the words of Gollum/Smeagol: "Don't follow the lights! Or hobbitses go to join the dead ones!"_


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Everyone watched with awe and growing horror as a tail, composed entirely of sickening red chakra, grew out of Naruto's tailbone to join the other eight. It swayed and bubbled furiously with a sound reminiscent of crackling fire. The golden-haired demon fell to all fours and roared, whiskers fraying into wide bands of ultra-sensitive hairs. The tips of his fingers became misshapen, curling in on themselves, and his mouth puckered into a deformed muzzle. His dagger-like teeth were bared in a feral snarl, blackened lips dripping red froth that hissed and killed the plant life it fell on—it, undoubtedly, would burn right through any normal person's flesh. His eyes were red with hate; pupils inhumanly large, taking in every miniscule detail.

Temari was distantly aware that Sakura had thrown up in terror. A yellow-orange liquid—no doubt the syrupy remains of the girl's last meal—dripped off a branch. It barely registered, however, as every hair on Temari's body was standing on end, her muscles coiled like too-tight springs; every instinct, every cell in her body was screaming: "_Run! Demon! Monster! Danger!_"

And yet, her feet refused to move.

"**Madara**," the Demon Prince growled, an animalistic slur that spilled from his lips as sickeningly as the froth. His eyes were set in her direction, face even more hideous than a half-possessed Gaara's.

'_I'm going to die,'_ her mind shrieked. Her heart was pounding; it felt as if it could explode, _'He'll kill us all. I'm going to die. We're all going to die if we don't…' _

_"RUN!" _She screamed, her voice fluttering into the higher tones of hysteria, cracking toward the end.

The single word had the effect of a gunshot going off in a public square. They all scattered and Kyubi pounced, leaping at the Uchiha, nine tails thrashing wildly.

Sakura screamed, launching herself out of the tree and even Sasuke let loose a strangled yelp, diving down through the branches as the yellow demon crashed into the foliage right above his head. Bark and wood spliters went flying.

"**Madara**!"

Frantically, Sasuke scrambled downward, the branches separating him from the fox demon bursting into charred splinters moments after his fingers slipped to the next.

"**I'm going to kill you for what you did to me, Madara!**" Kyubi raged. "**I'm going to devour you! Starting with your _eyes_!**"

Sasuke was too enveloped in fear to think rationally; little more than a mantra of "Go, go, go!" passing through his brain. Fleeing from the Demon Prince was like trying to outrun an avalanche or worse still: a freight train without brakes. Simply letting go and dropping was too risky; it would leave him devastatingly open to attack. He could not possibly block all of those limbs.

And Madara… Who was Uchiha Madara? It echoed just behind his furious mental chant to "run, run, run." It was a familiar name, he knew it, but could not recall the memory that came with it.

Gaara appeared in front of the Uchiha heir, an unexpected and unwilling savior. Sasuke inhaled sharply and dove to the side, just avoiding the Suna-nin's outstretched claw.

"No!" Gaara exclaimed, ignoring Sasuke completely. "You are to fight _me_! You are _my_ prey!"

The Demon Prince tackled the sand-covered teenager, his sharp nails doing substantial damage to the sand cloak, but not digging deep enough to scrape across real flesh.

Slit pupils thinned. Sasuke's form was rapidly descending, rapidly growing further away.

"**Madara!**"

Gaara's oversized paw latched onto several of the blonde's tails, pulling hard in order to prevent him from chasing after the brunette Uchiha.

"Don't turn your back on _me_!" Gaara shrieked.

Sasuke had not wasted the time granted him. His hands flew through seals at a speed only accomplished by desperation and, ending on _tora_, he breathed out as much chakra as he could manage.

The forest canopy lit up like a grove of Christmas trees, tongues of orange and yellow licking up the trunks and branches and leaves with the hunger of Roman lions, spurred on by the wild chakra entwined in the air. The two demonic males were caught in the blaze and both roared in shock and the pain of the heat. They fell, flaming, like a pair of loosed acorns and crashed to the earth a hundred feet below.

With the aid of the sand, Gaara quickly smothered the fire surrounding his body and unsteadily got to his feet. Grains dripped from his form to swirl around his feet, bits of crude glass crumbling away and returning to their sandy form. Though his temples ached, he lifted his heavy head to glare at the writhing form of the Demon Prince.

The demon fox thrashed, shrieking wildly as he batted at the flames, kicking up clouds of dust and debris. His eyes rolled in their sockets and finally settled on his Suna counterpart.

Gaara stiffened as the kitsune's red gaze settled on his form. The sand sifting around him jumped into action as if the tanuki container had been physically attacked. It swarmed around his body, forming a dome.

"Mother!" Gaara exclaimed.

Shukaku crooned, "**Let me kill him, Gaara. You aren't strong enough; just take a short nap while I crush him for you**!"

"No!" Gaara protested in vain. The sphere solidified, trapping the Suna genin inside.

The Demon Prince attacked the shell, but his claws failed to even scratch the surface. Though he continued slashing at it for several seconds, the sphere was an inanimate object and his interest quickly waned. He stood up, his hands hanging, back hunched, and inhaled deeply through his nose. The demon's lips curled into a hideous mockery of a grin and his eyes locked onto Sasuke's hidden position in the trees.

The Last Uchiha, mistakenly believing he was, for the moment, safe, clutched at the seal on his neck, panting heavily. He wondered if it was possible to die from a fear-induced heart attack at the age of fifteen. He contemplated using the seal, but what then? He still could not use any of his fire or lightning jutsu, though a sharper edge on speed could prove to be a life saver, and Sasuke could not die here.

He _would not_ die here. He had too much unfinished business; and if he was out of the picture, the legendary Demon Prince would surely go after his peers: Sakura, Shikamaru, Pakkun, even the two Suna-nin. If Sasuke was killed, they were next. That couldn't be allowed to happen.

He should be running, but his breath was too short, his heart beating too fast, his mind in a too desperate state of panic. He needed this moment of stillness to get a hold of himself and put his trained skills to proper use. But, he was losing valuable time.

"_Sasuke-kun_," a familiar voice whispered. He looked up and spotted Sakura staring down at him worriedly, her hair a chaotic pink halo around her head. The Suna konoichi was next to her, looking more irritated than concerned.

"What are you doing?" The blonde hissed lowly. "Move your ass! Gaara won't keep his attention for long."

The raven-haired teen blinked. "You know something," He accused, eyes narrowing.

Temari's face turned into an ugly sneer while Sakura's eyebrows curved upward as her concern grew.

"Please, Sasuke-kun, this isn't the time for that!"

Temari growled. "Yes, I know something! I know my brother has the same condition! It doesn't matter, it isn't going to help anything!"

"How do you know tha—_AHHHHH!_"

The Demon Prince seemed to have appeared out of thin air, and though Temari knew full well that wasn't the case, the suddenness of his appearance still stent to two girls bolting a hundred yards away in surprise; insticts overriding rationale.

The demon's claws and fangs tore deeply into the flesh of Sasuke's leg: wrenching, tearing, and pulling. He felt his bone break and his leg become numb as his brain pumped adrenaline into his system to block out the pain. The Demon Prince leapt away, almost teasingly, when he reached out to claw at the beasts's ruby eyes.

Sasuke had experienced pain before; he had watched as his world was tore asunder before his eyes by the person he had admired and worshipped most in the world. But, pain of the heart and mind was different than physical agony, and his screams refused to be silenced as his wet fingers groped at the shreds of his bloody calf and shin. There would be no running away on a leg like this, and the demon knew that.

In a way he hadn't done since his brother's betrayal, Sasuke screamed.

The Demon Prince circled Sasuke like an amused vulture, an upward curve tilting his black, frothing mouth.

"**I've been waiting for this day, Madara,**" the fox said, "**I've _dreamed_ of it.**"

The teen moaned in response.

The demon laughed. "**What's this? Where's your fighting spirit? You never used to let so small an injury get to you before! Insect!**" He stood up, shoulders hunched, hands dangling just above his knees. His shadow loomed over the fallen ninja. "**I'm going to enjoy this immensely. You will never plague my kind again, Madara. You know, eyes are supposedly are very delicious. I wonder if it's true? Let's find out, shall we?**"

"_Noooo!"_

A soft female body bulleted into the Demon Prince's side and sent him flying.

"Don't you dare touch one more hair on Sasuke-kun's head!" Sakura exclaimed, her face blotchy with tears. She knelt at the Uchiha's side, hesitantly letting her hand hover over his torn leg. "Oh, Sasuke-kun…"

"Stupid!" He hissed, shoving her away. "You wanna die? Run while you still—!"

"**Medding female!**" the demon fox growled, crawling back up from where he had fallen. The scelera of his eyes were bulging with swollen blood veins. "**How dare you interfere! This doesn't concern you!**"

"Sakura, go!" Sasuke forced out.

"No, I won't leave you!"

"**You die first!**"

"Like hell!" Temari retorted. She slid between the two Leaf ninja and the oncoming fox, whipping the little fan out to hit him with a gust. "Leaf girl, throw the Uchiha off the tree!"

"_What_?" Sakura shrieked.

"Throw him off! _Now_!"

"**Filthy humans!**"

"Do it!" Temari demanded.

"No! I can't do that to Sasuke-kun!"

"Damn it," Sasuke grunted, wrenching himself out his teammates grasp and pushing himself away with his good leg. Tree bark scraped against his back then… he fell. He heard Sakura scream, but didn't allow himself to panic. He had faith in the Suna kunoichi's words.

_'The enemy of my enemy is my friend… for now.'_

"Got him!" His body jerked in midair, forcing Sasuke to bite back a yelp as his leg was jarred. He could feel pinpricks of chakra latched onto his joints, slowly guiding him toward the ground.

"Not bad, Suna-san," He heard Shikamaru comment.

"Thanks. But, I'm not carrying him." That voice must've been the puppetier.

Once he was lowered to the ground, Sasuke's suspicions were confirmed, Shikamaru's lidded gaze and Kankuro's painted face hovering over him, pipe fox glancing over their shoulders.

Kankuro's mouth twisted into a humorless smirk. "You are one unlucky son of a gun, Uchiwa."

Sasuke coughed through the phem in his throat. "Uchi_ha_, dumbass."

"Whatever."

Back down on the forest floor, inside the sphere of sand, Gaara pounded his fists defiantly against the walls.

"No! He's mine!" he cried, voice cracking, sand crawling, "You can't have him, Mother! He's my prey! He's mine! _I_ want to kill him, _not you_!"

Shukaku shrieked; the crooning, motherly tone abandoned. "**How dare you speak to your mother that way! I will kill him, you are not strong enough!"**

"No! He's mine to kill! I won't let you take my prey from me!" Howling, Gaara scratched at the sand covering his body, raking his fingers over his arms, torso, and face to force the sand cloak to fall away from his skin.

"**Gaara, stop it!_"_**

"No!"

"**Stop it!**"

"He's mine!"

Shukaku's voice bordered hysteria. "**Stop that right now or I'll never love you again!**"

Gaara's fingers scraped against skin, only halting for the span of an eyeblink before he continued scratching.

"I don't care. I don't care! _I don't care!_ I hate you anyway! I hate you! He's my prey and you can't have him! You _can't_!" His eyes burned with unshed tears. "I hate you so much! You don't love me! You say you do, but you don't! I know you don't! It's your fault! It's _all_ your fault! _I hate you_!"

The sphere cracked open like an egg.

Gaara stumbled into the forest light, one hand clutching his head, the other limp at his side, bleeding from self-inflected scratches. It was very, very quiet, quieter than he could remember any moment in his life ever being. Shukaku was still present in his mind, but he could not hear the demon's voice or thoughts. It was worrisome, strange, and… peaceful. He's never known the quiet could be this loud.

Though, the peace did not last long. Gaara's head lolled on his shoulders and he rolled his neck to look up toward the treetops, where a glimpse of gold flitted beween gaps of green. The rings around Gaara's eyes seemed thicker and darker than ever.

He licked his lips and rasped, "_My_ prey."

* * *

Naruto hadn't journeyed through the dripping halls of his mind since his childhood. It hadn't changed.

It was almost eerie, in a way, how easily he trekked through the flooded passages; all paths eventually leading to the rusted bars that imprisoned what little remained of the once-great Kyubi no Yoko. What was even stranger was standing there and watching someone else control his body. Kyubi's head was pointed heavenward, eyes focused on something Naruto couldn't see. Every so often his tails twitched or his mouth twisted in a silent growl. When he tore his eyes away from his surrogate father, Naruto was forced to look at the rapidly deteriorating spiral lock. The gates wouldn't remain closed for very much longer and it grew looser and more rusted as he looked at it.

He hoped Kyubi wasn't doing anything too rash.

Quite suddenly there was another presence behind Naruto.

"Well… this is surprising."

**End Chapter 20**

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_I sincerely apologize for the long wait for this chapter. A most tragic thing happened, worse than writers' block, yet not as bad as a hard drive crash: I hit THE WALL. For those of you who are not aware, THE WALL is a terrible, terrible thing and is very difficult to break past in order to continue. So, I took a break to work on other stories, namely a Death Note fic called The Aves of Maria (please go read and review!). That story is now finished and I am back to work on DPoK! However, I do not have much solidly written beyond this. BUT! I definitely won't make you all go on another 5 month dry spell before seeing another update. Alas, I do not yet know when that update will be._

_I intended to have this chapter finish off the arc, however, after such a long wait, I felt I owed it to you guys to at least post this much. I know things have been pretty canon compliant so far, but here is where things really start to diverge onto their own storyline._

_Please be patient with me; I am an American Ronin and boredom does not breed inspiration. In the meantime keep an eye out for a few oneshots and short fanfics I intend to post to keep my will to write from dying out completely._

_Read, review, and all that jazz,_

_Megii_


	22. Outline NOT AN ACTUAL CHAPTER

My beloved readers:

I love you all. You have stuck by this story since its original publishing all the way back in 2006 and rewrite in 2009-10. However, it with with my greatest apology that I tell you that I will not be properly wrapping up DPoK. I lost interest in the Naruto fandom all the way back in spring '10 and my attempts at reviving or at least wrapping up DPoK have yielded as much as results as beating a dead horse. I could probably rewrite it yet again, but my goal is to be an actual novelist and I intend on getting published this year. Fanfiction is for fun and gives me no profit other than bringing pleasure to others. While that is a reward in and of itself, it doesn't bring home the bread and bacon. I am 22 years old this year and have yet to get a job or afford college. There are more important things I need to do besides sit and read and write fanfiction.

However, I couldn't just let you guys just sit on a cliffhanger, because that's just totally not cool and you all deserve better than that. So, you get to read 17,000 words worth of clipped scenes and present-tense summarizing.

At this point, I do not know what I will do with my other unfinished Naruto stories. I have no motivation to get back to work on them right now, but I admit that I am reluctant to let them go, especially since every other story that I have let someone adopt has just ended up sitting, unworked on, in the other author's profile, which is a heartbreaker since I love my plots and they always are original on a level that was uncommon when I was still reading Naruto fanfics (I do not know what the archives are like now, but I can't imagine they have changed much).

My lack of interest in the Naruto fandom has nothing to do with dislike for the manga or anything (in fact, I'm still reading it every Friday). It has simply fizzled out after so many years and I have moved on to other things.

I will still be around, posting fanfics every so often, but do not expect much more in the way of Naruto fanfics.

So, without further ado, I present to you the last, uh, "chapter" of DPoK.

Much love,

_Megii of Mysteri OusStranger_

* * *

**Final Post**

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**

Most people tended to confuse rashness with bravery. Being courageous didn't require running head first into the snake pit with little regard for your own life. Being brave meant standing up to something you were afraid of it and holding your ground anyway.

Temari wasn't unfamiliar with cowardice; she had never been above using every fragile thread of relation and bribery to keep Gaara from killing her when he was out for blood and Shukaku close to awakening. She had never been brave.

Just by looking at the demon she skittered around now, she knew it wasn't Naruto, no matter that it was his body Naruto was dangerous, power rippling under the surface of his skin always, but Naruto was always in control and always logical, not vicious and instict-driven and uncaring like the being she fought now.

This wasn't the Naruto she knew. This could only be the Kyubi.

Temari was terrified, but the thought of turning tail to save her own hide was even worse. She wondered if being without option counted as being brave. She sure didn't feel like it.

* * *

_Gaara snaps and, eerily in control, attacks Naruto. The girls are only a minor annoyance and Naruto lets them go in favor of clawing Gaara off. Gaara's laughing and shouting. Sakura and Temari go back for Sasuke, with the help of Kudagitsune. They begin to retreat. Furious, Naruto forces Gaara away with a powerful punch/slash/tail whack/or something and goes after them. Kankuro and Shikamaru and Pakkun try to block him, even if it's only for a short time, but are blown aside like insects. Naruto rips Sauke's off of Kudagitsune, hurling him toward the forest floor. Youki is clinging to Sasuke, burning into him and making him scream bloody murder. Shikamaru and Sakura dive after the brunette. Naruto is blocked by a gust from Temari, and it stalls him for a few seconds long enough to allow Gaara to tackle him from behind again. By now Naruto's had enough, and he ruthlessly rips into Gaara, slashing not his blood veins, but his chakra arteries. He grabs Gaara by the neck and begins to crush his throat._

_Sakura and Shikamaru try to staunch Sasuke's bleeding, sending Pakkun back to the village for help, but are terrified that the dog won't make it back in time. Temari and Kankuro watch in horror as Naruto strangles Gaara. Temari rushes forward, slipping just out of Kankuro's grasp. Her words bring Naruto back to earth._

_

* * *

_

Gaara's eyes bugged out. Naruto's—_no, Kyubi's_, she corrected herself—hand had crushed the sand armor and was now choking the redhead. Her youngest brother's breath came in wet splutters. She felt her heart stop cold when he looked over at her with his rust-green eyes, weakly reaching out to her with one hand in an unspoken plea.

The world seemed to shatter. "Naruto_, stop!"_ She screamed, her feet carrying her forward, closing the distance between them rapidly. "_Please_ stop!"

Burning crimson eyes settled on her approaching form, but she refused to falter. Gaara's neck was released and his form fell limply like a dropped doll—the sand shivered weakly, straining to move to catch him but without the chakra to do so.

Temari pushed her legs harder, calves screaming as her muscles stretched beyond their limits. She leapt forward with one final push against the ground, stretching her arms out to catch her baby brother as he came crashing toward earth.

She hit the ground hard, her sibling's added weight pressing against her lungs. Still, she scrambled upright, cradling his smaller form against her diritied dress.

"Gaara!" She cried, "Gaara, open your eyes! Are you okay? You have to be okay! Gaara! Don't die, please! I love you; you're my baby brother! Gaara!"

His dark eyelids flickered open weakly, "T-Temari…"

Relief swelled in her bosom and overwhelmed her. She choked on a sob and buried her face in his shoulder, tears falling steadily. "Oh, thank the spirits! Thank goodness; _thank goodness!_ Oh, Gaara, I was so scared; _don't you ever scare me like that again!_ I can take you threatening me, I can take you trying to kill me, but dammit, don't you ever die on me!"

"Temari,"

* * *

_She catches Gaara, and though Kankuro has the urge to join them, he doesn't; wary of Naruto. Naruto allows Gaara and Temari to speak for a moment before interrupting. Temari hands Gaara off to Kankuro and Naruto asks that they leave the two blonds alone, but Kankuro stubbornly refuses, saying that he doesn't trust not to hurt Temari. Naruto snaps "fine" at them and talks to Temari about mating with Naruto._

_

* * *

_

"Thank you."

She froze at the sound of the voice, hesitantly turning her head to lay eyes on the blonde-haired, red-eyed figure standing behind her. However, Kyubi didn't appear to be consumed by rage anymore, his whiskers tamer, expression softer, though he still retained the chakra tail, deformed snout, and other hideously demonic features.

The Demon Lord continued. "I lost myself. Thank you for acting out like that, seeing you brought me to my senses. Naruto would have been devastated if I hurt you in any way…

"You take control often?"

He snorted, and the expression looked very out of place on Naruto's features. "Hardly. It places enormous strain on both our consciousnesses. In fact, I can assure you that this will be the last time I take control of my son's flesh until I die."

"You're dying?"

"In a way. You know that my son was born human. He has become what he is over many years, his body changing to accomdate the power of my chakra right down to his DNA. The more he changes, the weaker I become until my extistence is null. I cannot 'die' per say, I am a being made of chakra, but my consciousness and soul will move on to the netherworld.

"I have acted rashly. The final stage of merging was meant to be complete on his sixteeth birthday, but I am afraid that I have ruined that. Not only have I sped up the merging process, I have damaged his body very bady—am still damaging him even now, but I need to tell you this because he will not do so himself. The merge should now complete a full month earlier. Before the final day, September tenth, something very important needs to happen."

Temari furrowed her brow, eyes narrowed. "What?"

Kyubi's smile was both threatening and sad. "My son must claim a mate. Or, as humans might call it—a wife."

"Oh god,"

The Demon Lord snorted lightly. "Indeed. Love need not be a factor, but I would strongly prefer my son mate with a female he can be happy with. And guess who I have in mind?"

"… me?" she squeaked out.

"You, unless, of course, you have no romantic interest in him. If that is indeed the case, then I will have to seek another suitable mate, which will almost certainly be a demoness."

"Demons mate for life, don't they?" She said weakly.

"Yes."

"So… I have until September tenth to figure out if I… like Naruto or not."

"Not exactly," Kyubi spoke up, "You have until the ninth to figure out your feelings and mate with my son. Mating on the tenth will be quite impossible."

"You mean have sex,"

He nodded. "Yes, but the sooner he mates, the easier the trasition to nine tails will be, and the later you wait to make your decision, the more likely I am to bring in another candidate."

Temari swallowed thickly. "What happens if he doesn't…?"

Kyubi's eyes hardened. "A mate is required to achor him here. If Naruto does not mate, he will cease to exist in this world and will be bound to Makai for one thousand years as the new Kyubi no Yoko. It will be a millenia before he can return to the human plane."

She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her.

"He cares deeply for you, though he is reluctant to acknowledge it… He has never been in love, and the very thought of it frightens him, not that he will admit to such a thing as fear." He looked deeply into her eyes and she felt her skin shiver at the alien stare. "If it is necessary for me to make any sort of formal request for your hand on my son's behalf, tell me now, because you will never see me again once I hand control back over to Naruto."

She lowered her eyes, thinking. "There is no one… my mother passed away years ago, I just found out that my father has been assassinated… you might consult my brothers but they are already here, and I am old enough that I can decide my love life for myself, anyway."

"And your decision?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Why me? As a demon, shouldn't you discourage that sort of relationship? You want something from me, but what? A hefty dowry?"

"No doubt culturally necessary, but no. There is nothing I want from you because there is nothing you can give me. My freedom ended the moment I was sealed into Naruto's body. The only thing I long for is freedom, but since that is impossible, I am content ensuring that my legacy lives on."

She pressed two fingers to her temple. "Give me a minute."

"Please think quickly—the longer I am in control, the more damage is done to my son's body."

"Then why take control in the first place?"

The dark look in Kyubi's eyes chilled her to the marrow of her bones. "Uchiha Madara and I have a score to settle."

Temari regretted ever asking. She directed her thoughts to Naruto, and the Kyubi's request. She had never imagined herself as a married woman, not even in her childhood. That had been a luxury other girls indulged in. While her classmates played with dolls, Temari practiced throwing kunai. As the eldest child of the Kazekage, she was expected to be the best in everything, and she had been. But the thought of never, ever seeing Naruto again terrified her more than marriage.

She swallowed, throat dry and knotted. "…s."

"What was that?" Kyubi asked.

"Yes. I… I will marry Naruto. I will become his mate."

"… Thank you." The Kyubi smiled. Then his eyes rolled back in Naruto's head and his body fell to the ground in a dead faint.

* * *

Naruto stared wide-eyed at the man standing before him in his mind, whose face was very nearly identical to his own. The Prince pursed his lips, blue eyes narrowing as he grounded himself into a defensive posture.

"Yondaime," he said lowly.

The yellow-haired man's gaze snapped down to the teen, and he blinked as if seeing him for the first time. When he spoke, his voice was distant and hesitant. "Naruto-kun…" His eyes flicked back to the form of the Kyubi, which stood still behind the deteriorated bars. "I admit," he began, walking toward the enclosure, "That I had hoped that the seal would never reach the point where I would be activated, and that if it ever did…" he paused, reaching out to the seal, which crumbled further at his light touch, "I never imagined something like this happening." He rubbed his fingers together, rolling the beads of rust to and fro. "Still," his face warmed, a small smile curving his mouth, "It is good to see you, my son."

Naruto's expression was stony. "Namikaze Minato."

The older blonde smiled outright. "That's right. Who told you? It was Jiraiya, right? Or did Sarutobi beat him to it?"

"Why are you here?"

Minato blinked at the casual dismissal of his inquires, but consented. "When I designed the Shiki Fujin, I made it so that a piece of my soul would appear here when eight tails were released. Although," he chuckled weakly, his eyes focused on the golden tails swishing behind Naruto's body, "I suppose… it might be a bit late for that." When no response was forthcoming, he asked a question of his own, swallowing tightly. "What is happening to the seal?"

"It is dying."

"Why?" he demanded.

The Demon Prince's response was not immediate, his eyes sliding away from the Yondaime to the Kyubi with a quietly affectionate stare. "Kyubi-otou-sama and I are merging. Soon, we will be one entity."

The Yondaime's eyes widened considerably. "Merge?" his eyes traveled upward to the seal, which was almost completely faded out. He placed a hand on the fragile bars, his touch more firm this time. "Such a thing is possible?"

Naruto resisted the urge to snort. "You know so little about the seal you yourself created. I don't know whether to be amused or sickened."

Minato looked a bit sheepish. "I was in a hurry. Perhaps, if it had been created in more peaceful times, I would have been able to research it more and correct all its flaws…"

"But you didn't."

For a moment, the late man's face was a mask of icy spite. "No. No, I didn't."

Naruto quirked his head to the side, raising a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "It doesn't matter. It has nothing to do with any flaw of the seal's, anyhow."

Minato's brow furrowed, his confusion clear. "I don't understand."

The demonic teen rolled his shoulder dismissively and uttered one name. "Uzumaki Kushina."

The Yondaime's shocked reaction was nearly felt as an electric charge. "Wh-what?" His voice was a whisper.

"It is because of Mother," Naruto elaborated softly.

"Kushina-chan. But _why_?"

The Demon Prince's hard defense softened. "That… requires some lengthy explanation."

"Tell me." The Yondaime's expression was fierce. He cut an imposing and powerful figure even as a mere sliver of a soul. Naruto felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

"Fine." Naruto inhaled deeply, gathering his memories to the forefront of his mind.

"I abandoned Konohagakure no Sato when I was six years old." The Yondaime visibly started, and Naruto held up a hand to pause him. "Unlike Mother, my status as Jinchuriki was secret only to those my age and younger and those too young to remember Kyubi-otou-sama's attack on the village. Hiruzen cared for me, as did a few older shinobi, but it was not enough. Living was hell. The villagers were not outrightly abusive toward me; mobs did not come pounding at my door in the middle of the night, adults did not slander me outside of the privacy of their homes, drunks did not strike me, but… they were cruel, in their own way. As a child, this tortured me endlessly, their silence, their hateful stares, the whispers that festered when they thought I was not listening. My peers, the only ones who might have seen me as I really was, were influenced enough by their parents' hate that they hated me too, though they did not understand or question why. Such is the nature of children.

"So, I left. Hiruzen pursued me at first, but I made it clear that I would never go back of my own free will, he left me to my own devices, hoping that I would return on my own when I had had my fill of the wild. Once every couple of weeks, he sent one of his Anbu to me with basic supplies, to ensure that I could survive and was not devoured by some predator.

"Kyubi-otou-sama and I could not communicate consciously when I was at that age, we met only in my dreams. As is his way, he was cruel and mocking in the beginning, he hated me and I him, but we were one another's only company. We grew accustomed to one another." Naruto tore his eyes away from Minato, gesturing widely to the seal at their side. "

The Shiki Fujin really is," he breathed in irony, "A state-of-the-art seal. Unlike Mother's seal, or her predecessor's, whom Kyubi-otou-sama had told me all about, I could call on his chakra; bit by bit, day by day, whether I used jutsu or not, the seal was stealing his life and making it mine. It… terrified him as nothing else could. Death, that is. But there was no way of avoiding it unless I gave myself up to him and allowed myself to be the one to die instead, and I loved life too much to do that. So, instead, I 'made a deal with the devil,' as they say. For all of our differences, our forced tolerance for one another, we shared one thing: we hated Konoha."

The Demon Prince could tell that the late Hokage was burning with questions, but the older male kept silent, patiently waiting for his offspring to continue the tale. Quietly, Naruto appraised the man's restraint.

"I would not give up my life, so the eventual death of Kyubi-otou-sama was inevitable. I agreed to be the heir of his legacy, and he willingly gave me all that my young body could handle, and more. For a year, my senses and abilities were akin to the Inuzuka clan. I could speak to foxes, and brought together of group of those who recognized Kyubi-otou-sama's chakra and acknowledged me as his heir. They became my family.

"About a eighteen months after my initial transformation, a woman appeared in my mind while meditating. She said that she was my mother."

"Kushina…" Minato breathed.

Naruto nodded solemnly. "Kyubi-otou-sama confirmed her at once. We talked for hours. Hours upon hours. She was the first person to tell me that she loved me." His face was soft, affectionate, and warm in remembrance, pupils focused on something invisible. "But she knew her time with me was limited. The way Kyubi-otou-sama and I were going about merging would do nothing but kill us sooner, she told us. We had two options, she said, and could give us only one."

Minato's face was apprehensive, fearful even. "And those options were…?"

Naruto smiled, and though it was not threatening, it was still feral. "I could release Kyubi-otou-sama and forcibly take his chakra for myself before sealing him again, or I could let his chakra transform me into a demon myself. I do not think I need to tell you which option we chose. I had too much respect for him at that point to tear his existence away by force, and he too much for me to break our deal, though he longed for my death fiercely."

The spectre of the Yondaime went white.

"By the time I turned eight, an entire tail had grown in, and one more grew every year that passed." Naruto's eyebrows arched in longing, "This is the final year. On my 16th birthday, I will gain my final tail, and Kyubi-otou-sama will cease to be."

Minato ran a hand through his hair. "Naruto-kun… I… I don't know what to say."

The Prince only shrugged.

"Do…" The older male swallowed. "Do you still hate Konoha?"

Naruto pursed his lips. "I can never forgive Konoha for what they did to me, for what they _didn't_ do. However, I gave up on revenge. They leave me to my business, and I leave them to theirs. Though I find myself slowly growing more involved lately."

* * *

_They talk a little longer, and Minato tries to replace the Shiki Fujin, much to Naruto's upset._

_

* * *

_

"Don't you dare touch me with that!" The teen shouted.

The older blonde looked on in shock as three of Kyubi's enormous red tails wrapped around the teen's form protectively, pulling him backwards through the bars.

The Yondaime chased his retreating form with panic in his eyes. "Naruto-kun!" he exclaimed, reaching into the prison, unable to step beyond the bars.

"Don't call me that!" Naruto snapped, causing his look-alike to flinch, "You have no right to speak to me so familiarly!" His expression darkened. Kyubi's form towered above him, its eyes still distant, "You aren't my father. You sired me, gave me your genes, sealed Kyubi into me, but Kyubi-tou-sama is the one I recognize as my father. He raised me, loved me, and taught me; you may have given me life, but Kyubi-tou-sama gave me a reason to live. So don't you dare put that seal back on me!"

"Naruto…" Minato whispered, broken-hearted.

Naruto's bangs shaded his eyes. "I… don't hate you. I've spent too much of my life hating as it is, and I understand why you chose me and why you did it. I don't blame you for anything; but you gave up your rights as a parent the moment you summoned the Shinigami."

Minato's shoulders slumped and a small, sad smile graces his features. "I see. You've… grown up spectacularly, Naruto. I'm proud of you."

"Eh?"

His smile widened. "I mean it. I can't deny that I'm more than a little hurt, but… I'll admit the Kyubi raised you well. I don't think I could have brought you up better myself, had I been able to." He chuckled. "At least you didn't do something like punch me in the stomach!"

Naruto allowed himself to smile back. "Yeah… Thank you."

Minato brightened and held his hand through the bars, beckoning the young demon to take his palm. "Good luck, Naruto."

The teen nodded, taking the hand of the man that, in a different lifetime perhaps, could have been his father, and shaking it. His grip was firm, almost tight. Then, suddenly, it was not a handshake—it was a grab.

The Yondaime yanked Naruto through the bars.

The human's hand glowed with chakra, palm flat, speeding straight for the Demon Prince's gut. Horror flooded Naruto's brain, pupils shrinking into tiny pinpricks of ink. He moved, arm snapping forward to block his belly, and the Shiki Fujin slammed into his wrist.

Minato gasped, eyes wide with shock as Naruto howled, clutching his arm. He quickly released his hold on the younger man, stepping back as the once-Jinchuriki retreated, snarling.

"Bastard! Bastard! You sniveling _bastard_ son of a _dog_!" Red seeped into the Demon Prince's eyes as he screeched his fury. "I should _eat you_ for this!" He clutched at his left hand as black runes appeared, sizzling, over his flesh from forearm to fingertip.

"Naruto-kun, I…" Minato began.

"Shut up! Filthy, manipulative, bastard human!" Naruto spat. "Be glad you're already dead!"

"I was trying to _save_ you, idiot boy!" The older male retorted. "You've been tainted horribly by that evil demon!"

"'Save' me? Evil? Tch! You're a fool! You understand _nothing_!" He inhaled sharply, glaring down at the seal on his hand as it fulfilled its purpose, the black markings setting like ugly tattoos as the pain faded into a dull ache.

"Nothing," Naruto growled softly, "Not a damn thing. You're just as prejudiced and ignorant as the lot of them. And they called you a genius! Bastard!"

Minato shook his head sadly. "It has corrupted you so deeply…"

"And you're blind," the kitsune snapped. He clenched and unclenched his marred fingers experimentally, "Get out of my head."

"You made a mistake becoming Kyubi's heir. You'll regret it. I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

"I didn't _want_ to be saved."

"You will. But the seal was designed only to let me appear in your mind this once. I won't be able to appear again when you really need me. I'm sorry."

"I won't need you." Naruto hissed, his tone carrying a note of finality, "Now get lost."

Like magic, the Yondaime instantly began to fade away. "Yes. Goodbye, Naruto-kun. I love you."

"I hate you," Naruto said, but Minato's imprint had already vanished and most likely did not hear the softly uttered words.

* * *

_Naruto (Kyubi) tells the sand trio to come with him to his den, they will be safe there. Kankuro protests, but Naruto gives them an ultimatum: him or Konoha. Disgrunted, Kankuro agrees to go to the den. Naruto sends them off with Kudagitsune and then approaches the Konoha squad. Shikamaru and sakura are terrified while Sasuke is delirious with pain. Shikamaru backs off, ready to flee, while Sakura stands her ground, trembling. Naruto pushes her aside; she clings to his leg, begginghim not to kill Sasuke. Naruto murmurs a "sorry" and heals much of Sasuke's leg, though not all of it. Sakura and Shikamaru are in awe as well as confused. Naruto leaves._

_Naruto hasn't quite gotten back to the den yet. Gaara is in a semi-unconscious state, but Shukaku isn't taking over. Temari and Kankuro are arguing over both Naruto and Gaara. Temari can't stand that Kankuro abandoned Gaara and Kankuro can't stand Temari's relationship with Naruto. Naruto returns, and Temari begins to speak up, but her voice fails her as she sees Kyubi is still in control. He heals Gaara's wound and proceeds to pass out, much to the sibs' shock. They fret over him for a while, trying to figure out just what the hell happened before deciding they should at least make him comfortable. Kankuro insists on doing it because he doesn't want his sister associating with a guy like that._

_

* * *

_

"I can't believe you left him by himself." Temari said softly.

Kankuro looked away. "I'm not risking my life for a guy who hates me, especially when I know he can't win."

"He's our brother!" She insisted.

* * *

_Naruto wakes up the next morning and apologize for what Kyubi did with his body. Temari accepts his apology, Kankuro sniffs disdainfully, but Gaara is harder to read and seems to be off in his own world. Eventually the subject of the sib's father comes up. Kankuro is shocked to hear that the kazekage is supposedly dead and wanders off to be by himself for a while. Naruto asks about Temari's relationship with her father, which causes her to have a flashback. She admits that she hated him, but cannot help but feel a pang of loss because he was, nevertheless, her father._

_

* * *

_

_She stood, trembling, behind the corner of the wall. Yashamaru lifted his head to look at her, and smiled softly despite the dark bruises forming around his eye and on his chin._

"_Go back to bed, Temari-chan," he said._

_The Yondaime Kazekage paused to glare over his shoulder._

_Temari felt warm tears begin to trickle down her cheeks. "Uncle Yashamaru…" she whispered._

"_Go to bed, Temari!" her father shouted and she flinched at his harsh command. But still, she did not budge from her place._

"_Yashamaru…"_

"_I said to go to your room, you stupid girl!"_

"_Kazekage-sama, please…" The effeminiate male began, pushing himself upright, using the wall for support._

"_Go to your room right now, Temari!" The Kage shouted, marching up to the child. He towered above her, she who was only eight years old. Still she did not move, fingers clutching the wall, feet frozen in place._

_She swallowed hard, staring up at her parent through moist eyelashes. "N-no. St-stop hitting Uncle Yashamaru! You're hurting him—!"Her words were cut short when he slapped her. The force of the blow sent her sprawling to the floor and she let loose a keening wail at the pain that engulfed her tender cheek._

_Yashamaru leapt upon the man's arm, now frantic. "Kazekage-sama, stop it! She's just a little girl!"_

"_Out of my way, Karura! I am the head of this house and this village and my word is _law_!" With that, he jammed his elbow into Yashamru's gut and backhanded him._

_His face set in a twisted scowl, he approached his young daughter, removing the belt from his pants and folding the leather in half. He wound the material around his fist, hooking his thumb through the end of the loop to make a threatening crack._

_Temari opened her eyes in terror, turning her head to look up at the looming figure of her father; his arm arced menacingly above his head, belt in hand. She squeezed her eyes shut, biting down on her lip in preparation for the inevitable blow, but the flesh it slapped against was not her own. Her eyes snapped open in shock to see her uncle crouched above her, having slipped between the two at the last moment to take the punishment himself._

"_Karura!" her father shouted, more furious than ever, and he brought the belt down again on Yashamaru's back. "What did I just say?"_

"_Temari… go to your room." The blonde male gasped out. Leather bit at skin again._

_This time, she didn't disobey, tears flowing anew as she darted out from under Yashamaru's torso to pad down the hall as quickly she could manage. Kankuro was peeking out from behind his bedroom door and she slipped into his room, foregoing her own._

_She spread her arms and wrapped her younger brother in a fierce hug, discovering that he was trembling just as much as she was. He didn't hug her back, opting instead to cover his ears as another whack of father's belt was heard._

"_I hate it," Kankruo murmured, "I hate it when he gets like this. He thinks that Uncle Yashamaru is Mom and he's so mad about everything. He hit you! He really, really hit you, Temari-nee!"_

_She shushed him gently, ignoring the pain on her cheek and the tremble in her breath. "It's okay, Kankuro. Big sister will protect you." He burrowed his face in her neck and she tilted her head at the strange sensation. "What's on your face?"_

"_Paint," he mumbled, "I look like him. I don't want to look at him. I hate him."_

"_Kankuro," she admonished gently, "He's our father."_

"_I don't care. I hate him."_

_She sighed softly, and let him go, feeling the paint stick to her collar. "Get your blanket. I'll put up the chairs and we can make a fort out of them." The tears on her cheeks began to itch and she swiped them away, her mind not sparing a thought for their other sibling. Not a thought was spared for Gaara who sat curled up in his room, alone, wondering at the echoes of Yashamaru's cries._

"I didn't love him, but he was still my father, so some part of me will always care."

* * *

_Naruto talks to the trio about repairing the seal holding Shukaku._

_

* * *

_

"Seal…?" Gaara repeated, his brow furrowing.

Temari and Kankuro exchanged glances. "Naruto," Temari began, "Shukaku was sealed into Gaara while he was still in the womb. Our mother was the one who had a seal—not Gaara."

The blonde's face fell a bit. "I see. If that's the case, then there's nothing I can do."

* * *

He sighed, pressing his knuckles up against his chin. "I am, in an indirect way, possessed by the fox Kyubi—_kitsunetsuki_. Through him, I received the hereditary ability to command foxes—_tsukimono-suji_. However, they are not mindless animals, and in return for their services, I must keep them happy—_kitsunemochi_. Even a Kage must give something in return for the services of his shinobi, must he not? What man would accept a mission that promises no payment, no reward? Those who are unhappy with their ruler and way of life become nukenin. Any of my foxes can stray like that and cause mischief and misfortune wherever he or she goes, or even rebel against me."

* * *

"You are sure about this? About me? You…" he bit the inside of his lip, "If you choose me, you will never have children."

Temari shrugged. "I've never been fond of kids, and as eldest son, that's Kankuro's job anyway. He's the one to carry on the family line, not me."

"Your life wil be under threat of a number of demons, all the time."

"I'm a kunoichi, I'm used to having to defend myself against other killers. I'm familiar with the concept of looking over my shoulder and sleeping with one eye open."

"You'll have to give up your shinbi life."

"I'm good at other things besides cutting throats; it's okay."

"You'll never be able to…"

She pressed a finger to his lips, growing irritated. "Stop trying to persuade me to leave. I made my choice, and it's you."

"Even though I'm a demon?"

"Yes."

"Even though I am dangerous?"

"I live, eat, and breath danger, I can handle it. Besides, if you get out of hand I'll always have Gaara to back me up."

"Even though I am ugly?"

She scoffed. "You're the farthest thing from ugly imaginable. Exotic, maybe, but not ugly or even strange."

"This is your last chance to go back. Demons don't have such a thing as divorce or separated spouses. You mate with me, and it is forever."

"'Til death?"

He nodded. "Until death."

"Good, because I don't do flings."

…

She sighed heavily, blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes. "Stop trying to be so selfless. You're afraid you'll hurt me, I get it, but all men worry about that. So, for a moment, stop thinking about what you think is best for me, and think about what _you_ want. Do you want me as your wife?"

He was quiet for a moment, and she felt his fingers clenching and unclenching at her sides. Then, "Yes."

She nodded. "Then that's your answer."

"I need to go back to Suna with my brothers."

"Must you?"

"Yes. I have things I need to take care of. I need to hand in my resignation if I don't want to be labeled as a nukenin and there are… people… that I need to sever my ties to."

…

"May I kiss you before you go?"

"… Yes, you may."

They kissed. It was soft and sweet and full of hesitant feelings; not passionate or hungry or mind-blowing; nothing like what she expected good-bye kisses to be like. But she wasn't sure she was ready for toe-tingling kisses yet, and though the meeting of their mouths lacked raw emotion, it was nevertheless a nice, enjoyable experience.

"You have three weeks to come back to me." He said gently. "After we… well, once we further our relationship, it should be fine for you to visit Suna as much as you please."

* * *

Naruto gives her a token of his devotion.

After the sibs leave, Naruto goes to visit the Hokage, as he knows things are in a state of turmoil in Konoha. Despite having no great love for the village, Sarutobi remains his dear friend and if any other Nations decide to invade Konoha while it's weak, troubelf or Konoha means trouble for him.

Hiruzen is in bad shape, and Naruto sneaks into the Hospital. Konohamaru is there and ecstatic to see his "nii-san." Some of that joy is squashed when Naruto tells the boy that this isn't a casual visit. Hiruzen is smiling, but his eyes are the sharp, grave eyes of a kage. Naruto observes that Hiruzen looks like he's been through hell and back. Hiruzen laughs and explains what happened as well as Konohamaru's brave role. Naruto is very proud of Konohamaru and is amazed that he managed to get the upper hand on somebody so much stronger than him. Konohamaru blushes and admits he didn't do much other than run around in zigzags; but now he has new jutsu's to learn, as he feels he should learn to weild the flute.

Hiruzen informs Naruto of Tsutsuma's condition. Naruto asks where he is and is informed that his subordinate is being held with the Inuzukas. Kohomaru's friends unexpectedly interrupt (but do not walk into the room) and are struck speechless at the sight of Naruto. Naruto and Hiruzen suggest Konohamaru talk to them before the run around the village screaming. The trio leaves and Naruto and Hiruzen turn to more serious matters. Hiruzen talks about who will be the Godaime. Hiruzen also expresses worry for Naruto because Naruto is almost at his weakest. Naruto informs him that he has found a mate: the Suna girl, Temari. Hiruzen doesn't approve, but gives his blessing anyway.

Naruto tells Hiruzen about Minato appearing in his psyche. Hiruzen is wide-eyed, but admits he thinks it's something that Minato would do. Naruto shows him his arm. Hiruzen grows grave at the sight and feel of the now human appendage. Naruto says that he was lucky he managed to avert the blow, because he believes he might have died otherwise; his arm has been acting up and going through withdrawls from the lack of youki. Hiruzen is no seal expert, but this is an issue that he knows Naruto needs to address and fix as soon as possible. He suggests that Naruto seek out his student, Jiraiya. Jiraiya will be leaving the village to search for Tsunade tomorrow, so he'd better act soon. Konohamaru is accompanying the sannin. Naruto asks where he can find Tsutsuma and the Uchiha boy. Sarutobi is suspicious and asks why he wants anything to do with Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto tells him what Kyubi did and that he would like to apologize for his father's actions. Hiruzen tells him:

"I am no longer the shinobi I once was. It is time I stepped down and chose the Godaime." The Sandaime's face crinkled into a strained smile. "Remember when you were a boy? You wanted nothing more than to be Hokage those days. Were you a ninja under my command, I would choose you as my successor."

Naruto's eyes hardened. "That was a long time ago, Jiji."

The man sighed. "I know. I suppose I should know better than that by now, eh?" His expression sobered. "But the fact still remains—my Hokage carreer should have ended decades ago."

"Who do you have in mind?"

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, placing the end of his unlit pipe at his mouth. His successor would have to be someone Naruto approved of—angering the kitsune would bring about nothing but Konoha's destruction.

"… A former student of mine, Senju Tsunade."

He watched as the Demon Prince's nostrils flared, his eyes alighting with excitement. "The Mokuton heiress," he said.

"Whatever you're thinking, forget it."

Naruto tracks down Tsutsuma and converses with his friend for a short time; the dogs in the kennel are going beserk. Naruto leaves a note with Tsutsuma for the Inuzuka and leaves before he is found. Tsume finds the note and is suitably shocked. Tsutsuma is more cooperative than he has been the entire time he's been at the kennel.

Sasuke is watching his teammates spar, brooding that he is unable to practice or learn any new jutsu's at the moment. Irritated, he gets on his crutches and decides to go for a short walk to clear his head. Naruto ambushes him, and covers Sasuke's mouth before he can scream. Sasuke is terrified, but his fears subside when Naruto apologizes for Kyubi's actions and mistake of identity. Sasuke bats Naruto's tail away and asks what Uchiha Madara has to do with the Kyubi. Naruto asks if he knows just who Uchiha Madara was. Sasuke says yes and tells him. Naruto nods, but says that Madara did not die at the Valley of the End, and, in fact, it was Madara who prompted Kyubi to attack Konoha. Naruto tells Sasuke that, if he needs anything, to seek Naruto out, in order for Naruto to repay the damage he caused. He walks away. Sasuke asks how he will be able to find Naruto. Naruto tells him to ask the Cat. Sasuke doesn't understand.

Konohamaru is explaining things to his friends; about the exietence of the Demon Prince, their relationship, and that they must keep this all a secret. Udon and Moegi admit they have something they have something to show Konohamaru. They show him the scrolls they got from the crazy librarian. None of the trio are able to open the scrolls. Konohamaru thinks its best to keep the scrolls a secret for now and suggests that he keeps one and Udon keeps the other one. Moegi asks why she can't be trusted to watch over one, after all, she was with Udon, not Konohamaru. Konohamaru says that if someone comes looking for the scrolls, he doesn't want Moegi hurt, and plus, he's going out of the village for a while to search for the Godaime with Jiraiya; so if someone comes looking for them whiel he's gone, that person won't be able to get both scrolls easily. Moegi blushes and consents.

Ibiki and his subordinates are intterogating the guys they captured. While taking a break, Anko observes to Ibiki that getting info out of Orochimaru's playthings is going to be worse than hell, if not near impossible. She suggests trying to get them to form bonds with Konoha ninja. She says that the Aburame and Akimichi would probably be perfect for converting fatty and spider-freak. Ibiki says he'll think about it.

Tayuya is back in Oto. She has a new flute, but is nevertheless unhappy. She seeks out Kabuto and demands that they not just sit around and leave Orochimaru's killers unharmed. Kabuto assures her that he's working out a way to get revenge for Orochimaru's death. Konoha will burn, one way or another. A person from the shadows, whose face we cannot see, offers his assistance regarding that.

Jiraiya and Konohamaru are leaving Konoha. Naruto approaches them once they are out of sight of the village. Jiraiya is in a state of shock while Konohamaru rushes forward to embrace his niisan. Naruto tells them that he's going with them. Konohamaru is glad, but Jiraiya protests. Naruto smiles and informs him that the sannin doesn't have a choice in the matter. Jiraiya starts listing off reasons why he doesn't want Naruto following them. Naruto places a leaf on his head and transforms into a human, though still retaining his royal attire and air. Jiraiya dislikes this, but Naruto won't hide his crown. Jiraiya takes Konohamaru and tries to leave Naruto in the dust but fails and is forced to accept that Naruto is coming with. He mumbles that Naruto have better have a big wallet for him to pick at and Naruto responds with "what's money?"

The sand trio return to Suna. The village is shocked, as the three had been thought to be dead. Baki quickly greets them and asks where they have been. Temari and Kankuro explain. Baki, in turn, explains the situation that Suna has been in, including the details of their father's death. He says the village needs them back in action right away. Gaara states that that will be impossible. Baki asks why. Gaara is silent, so Kankuro answers for him and Temari informs Baki that she will be formally retiring as a ninja; she's getting married. Sort of. Baki demands to know who she is marrying. She tells him. Baki is in a state of disbelief, but Kankuro and Gaara assure him that it is true. Baki demands how they could let their sister do that. The two boys say that they approve of the pairing.

The trio settle back home. Temari goes before the council to resign. They don't want to let her go, but in the end relent. That night she goes home and Kankuro tells her that Gaara has gone into the desert. He has no idea when their brother will be back but he will probably return before Temari goes back to naruto. Kankuro is disgruntled and admits he doesn't want his sister to go off like this; she should have a proper wedding with well-wishers and a proper dowry: linens and silverware and jewelry and a big feast like in the old days. Temari observes that Naruto might not object to that. However, they have no way of contacting Naruto and planning until she goes back. Kankuro insists on planning the wedding without Naruto's input, the demon will just have to deal with it because Temari has people who care about her and want to see her off properly, not just ship her away or see her run off like an elopement or arranged union. Temari thanks Kankuro with tears in her eyes and begins thinking about what to do for the ceremony.

Naruto continues following Jiraiya, and is fascinated by the ninja techniques Konohamaru is being taught, namely, the Rasengan. Jiraiya asks if Naruto wants to learn it and he states he has no need for such a thing; he just finds it interesting. He then brings up the issue with his arm. Jiraiya is shocked, and Naruto tells him that Hiruzen said to go to Jiraiya about it, since Jiraiya is a seal master. Jiraiya mumbles and taked a look over the arm. Naruto asks if there's anything he can do. Jiraiya grumbles and says not right now; for now they find Tsunade first. Naruto asks about Tsunade so that he will know who to look for. Jiraiya protests, saying there's no need for him to even come into any villages, as he is such a suspicious looking person. Konohamaru protests, saying that niichan will definitely find Tsunade faster than Jiraiya ever could. Jiraiya is pissed off by this, so he tells Naruto the appearance of Shizune and Tsunade, but says that there's no way an animal will find his teammate before him. Naruto takes this as a challenge.

In Konoha, Choji and Shino are trying to crack into the Oto captives. They are stubborn, but Jirobo accepts a potato chip from Choji.

Tsutsuma leaves the Inuzuka compound. There is unrest amongst the foxes. Many dislike that Naruto is taking a human as his mate and want to know why that is. Tsutsuma tries to calm them, but the foxes are being split in two. Sanji appears and makes his statement that he refuses to accept that the kitsune clan will become tainted this way. The foxes begin to split into two groups with Sanji and Tsutsuma at their heads. Tsutsuma tells Nichi to go find Naruto and tell him what's going on. Nichi goes.

Temari goes and visits Misuzu's grave and the flashbacks are concluded. Temari decides she doesn't want to wait and she will quit the Black Scorpions as soon as possible.

When they enter a new village, the girls are ALL OVER Naruto, much to Jiraiya's disdain. Naruto is very nervous and awkward feeling, and Kyubi finds it downright hilarious. The girls also coo over Konohamaru, whom Naruto claims is his little brother. Konohamaru gets squished by a lot of girls. The girls want to know who he is and Naruto informs them he's a prince from a far-off land. They squeal. Naruto spots Shizune shyly blushing at him from around the corner. Grinning, Naruto goes over and introduces himself. Jiraiya's jaw drops. Naruto tells Konohamaru to distract the gaggle of women for him. Naruto walks around with Shizune for a while before she leads him to a restaurant near a casino. Tsunade is there. She makes the mistake of almost calling him Minato, but catches herself and demands to know who he is. Shizune begins to realize that she may have made a big mistake. Naruto sits across from Tsunade and takes a sip from her sake. He grins at her and introduces himself, but doesn't reveal that he is the demon prince.

Temari seeks out the other members of the Black Scorpion and eventually has a small gathering in a back alley there she admits that she's quitting. The other gang members are furious and beat Temari. She is terrified, but endures because she knows this is something she has to do and it is something that she has wanted for a long time.

* * *

"Ehh?"

"You want out?"

"Temari says she wants to leave!"

"What are you saying? Moron!"

"You think we'd just say 'oh, really?' and let you go?"

"You know the punishment for leaving, don't you?"

"…I know."

"Then get ready to take it, bitch! Gather everyone!"

'_I'm _scared_. I want to run. Enemy shinobi, easy, but _these_ people… I want to _run_, but… but…'_

"Take this!"

"You've been at the top of the food chain for ages! What the hell has made you turn against us, huh?"

She gasped. "Because I… I want to change. I'm through being like this. I want to change. I want to change! Because… because I…"

"Shut up!"

"Too bad your monster brother isn't here! I'm sure that freak would just _love_ to be a part of this!"

Temari's eyes snapped up. "You leave Gaara out of this! He has nothing to do with you!" She shouted, breaking her captor's hold and tacking the other girl.

"He killed my father!"

"You hated your father! When he was alive all you did was bitch and say that it would be better that no good drunk were dead!"

* * *

_She passes out and is saved by Kankuro. _

_

* * *

_

Temari blearily blinked her eyes open…

"Kankuro?" She exclaimed; the sudden movement brought a painful sting to her ribs.

"Don't move like that, you're pretty banged up. You have at least one cracked rib, but I think that's the worst of it. You're mostly bruised."

She groaned, resting her forehead against the back of his neck. "I feel like hamburger meat."

"Don't say that, you'll ruin my favorite food for me."

"Fine," she snapped, "I feel like _shit_. How does that sound?"

"Much better."

* * *

_Kankuro carries her home and she wakes up on his back, and he tells her that Aiko was the reason he came looking for her. Temari is so relieved that she begins to cry, and apologizes to her brother for being such an emotional silly lately. Kankuro says he doesn't mind and that he'll even bandage Temari himself as long as she tries not to cause so much trouble when she's married. Temari agrees, and is quietly thankful since going to the hospital is a bad idea connsidering her association with the gang._

_

* * *

_

"Some girl came by our house, a girl with yellow eyes. 'I can't stop them myself, help Temari!' she said. 'I like Temari. If she wants to live respectably, she should. She should have the life she wants.'"

Her eyes stung with tears. "Aiko-sempai…" she mumbled.

(Reference: Fruits Basket Chapts 40-41)

* * *

Naruto apologizes to Shizune for leading her on. Tsunade wants to know what he wants with her. Naruto explains that Sarutobi was attacked by Orochimaru and that though Orochimaru was killed, Hiruzen has become very aware of just how old he is. He has decided to step down as Hokage and has chosen Tsunade to be the Godaime. Tsunade opens her mouth to respond, but Jiraiya bursts in in a sissy rage and jumps at Naruto. Naruto dodges him easily and wraps a still-invisible tail and threatens to crush Jiraiya's hand if he doesn't chill out. Tsunade wants to know what Naruto's buisness with making her Hokage is. Naruto admits he doesn't care who becomes Hokage, just that the village needs one, because, even though he cares nothing for Konoha, his fate is inevitably tied to it, trouble for the village means trouble for him and trouble for him means trouble for the village. Tsunade says that she doesn't want to become Hokage because it is a fool's errand. This angers Konohamaru, who gets up in Tsunade's face. Konohamaru also wants to become Hokage and is also a Kage's grandchild. Jiraiya suggests they leave the restaurant, as they are distracting the other customers. Konohamaru and Tsunade continue arguing, and Naruto smells Nichi. He turns and calls out for her in fox, catching Jiraiya attaention. Nichi runs into Naruto's arms, yipping away. Tonton begins squealing and Nichi jumps down to sniff the other mammal. Tonton begins squealing at Shizune. Shizune asks if something is wrong. Naruto says that he has to leave and go back to Konoha at once, but refuses to elaborate why. He leaves.

Back in Konoha Shino and Choji have made progress with Jirobo and Kidomaru. Kidaomaru has even been released from his restraints and talks rather animatedly with Shino about spiders. He is fascinated that Shino's body is a hive, and Shino is fascinated that the other's body is insect-like. Kidaomaru asks about the outside. Shino admits that he can't tell him anything unless he spills about Orochimaru. Kidomaru is hesitant, and refuses, but there are cracks forming.

Sasuke is thinking about what Naruto promised: to help Sasuke if he needed it. Sasuke decides to ask Naruto to help him get stronger in order to kill his brother. He has no idea who cat is, though, and is at something of a loss because of it. He decides to visit Nekobaba, but is painfully reminded that he cannot because of his leg.

Gaara returns. Temari is cooking at the time and welcomes him home and asks if he would like to help her with dinner. He agrees and they have some quiet sibling bonding time.

* * *

She paused, watching him slide his shoes off. He caught sight of her, marinera-covered spoon on one hand.

Temari smiled softly. "Okaerinasai," '_Welcome home_,'

His response was almost a whisper. "Tadaima," The phrase filled the room, permeating the air, '_I'm home,_'

She lowered the spoon somewhat. "It's hamburger night. I wouldn't mind some help making sure that the pasta doesn't overcook."

* * *

At the table Temari brings up the subject of the wedding she and Kankuro are planning. She assures Gaara that she wants him to be part of the ceremony. Without answering, Gaara tells them where he's been the past week and a half and what he's been doing and that he has decided to try and subdue the one-tail. As he has no idea of how to do this, he says he will request for missions to other hidden villages in search of other Jinchuuriki who may be willing to teach him and observes that he wants to protect Suna and maybe become Kazekage one day. Temari and Kankuro are surprised and glad to hear this. Temari says, with no offense intended toward Kankuro, that she wants Gaara to give her away since she will be mating a demon. Gaara is struck speechless, while Kankuro is more laid back and says that he at least has to be able to carry the rings, which makes Temari laugh.

Naruto returns to his forest with Nichi. He is appaled at the state of division between his foxes and demands to know what is going on and why the foxes think so badly of him. The issues brought up hit a tender spot in Naruto and Sanji says that Naruto isn't even a true kitsune because he was born human. Naruto recoils at theis, deeply injured by someone he thought he could trust. He toughens up quickly afterward, and tells the foxes will have to deal with Temari being his mate and his questionable birth, and that no matter their personal opinion, he was chosen by Kyubi and that those who allow this kind of prejuduce to get the better of them and split from the clan will be traitors to their entire species. This brings some back to Naruto's side, but Sanji protests that Naruto is the real traitor and that he and one other person will bring honor back to fox kind. Naruto demands to know who that person is, but doesn't receive an answer. This is very frustrating for Naruto, who observes that this rebellion couldn't have come at a worse time; not only is he on the verge of his 16th birthday and 9th tail, so he is at his weakest strength, but he had also been looking forward to spending quality time with Temari after their mating, which now he will have very limited time for, if much time at all. He knows this needs to be taken care of as soon as possible, but first things first: Temari will be returning to him soon and he goes to meet her at the border of his territory; fire country. He hates to think that he needs to mate her as soon as he can in order to regain his strength, but facts are facts, and it is something very necessary right now.

Naruto meets Temari at the border and is surprised to find an entourage of people waiting for him. Shyly, he hides and sends Nichi out to get the details of what's going on. When he discovers that it is a human ceremony for Temari's mating to him, he comes out, nervous but holding his head high. Temari is wearing an uchikake and looks stunning. Her brothers have sent along only one trunk of valuables for her to take with her. While the ceremony is being preformed Naruto whispers that much has happened during the time of their seperation and there is much they must talk about. They kiss, completing the ceremony and finally go to a nearby den belonging to Naruto. Temari is nervous, but concerned about what is worrying Naruto. Naruto says that it can wait until morning and they have sex, during which Naruto realizes that he really is in love with this woman, while Temari thinks that he is a man she could easily grow to love, though she cannot help but feel somewhat uncomfortable with the idea now.

The next morning Naruto has his ninth tail and Kyubi is dead. He tells Temari about the trouble going on between his foxes. Temari is worried that it is her fault, but Naruto tells her to not think that way; that his love for her may have triggered the separation, but the seeds of doubt were growing inside those individuals long before she came into his life. Temari is so enraptured that she doesn't even blush or realize that Naruto has admitted his love to her. Naruto admits he is hesitant to let her stand equal to him in this kind of fight, as he does not want to see her hurt or injured, but knows better than to tell her to stay away because she's not that kind of woman, and that he wouldn't want that kind of mate anyhow. This time Temari does blush and says that she definitely won't let Naruto fight alone; she will definitely stay by his side to protect him as he tries to protect her. Just because she's officially a retired ninja doesn't mean she has to ditch everything she's ever learned! Naruto wholeheartedly agrees and they go back to Naruto's main den closer to Konoha.

While things aren't in chaos yet, and Konoha remains oblivious to the turmoil the kitsune are going through. Sanji shows up again, this time with help: the half-breed niece of Kyubi, Toru. Temari has never seen Toru before, but is concerned about the amount of alarm she instills in her new husband. Toru talks about how much she hates Naruto and when Temari comes to his defense, Toru gets so angry that she moves to attack Temari. Temari defends herself fiercely, and Naruto attacks Toru, not willing to tolerate Temari being attacked. Toru cannot keep back her injured expression when Naruto hits her, and transforms that hurt into anger. She attacks Naruto and they fight. Sanji tries to intervene but Temari stops him. This further angers Toru who ditches Naruto to go after Temari, telling Temari to not get involved. Naruto chases after Toru, but Sanji ditches Temari to confront Naruto, as he has been wanting to. Sanji reveals his status as a six-tail, showing that he has been hiding his true strength all this time. Naruto and Temari manage to push Sanji and Toru into a retreat, but only just. Naruto's injuries are serious and Temari is worse for wear as well. Naruto's sealed arm also makes itself a more obvious problem.

They return to the den to recover. Naruto suggests she go to Konoha to go to a proper hospital, but she says that if he won't go, then neither will she, she's bandaged her own wounds before. She takes care of her most critical wounds and then attends to his. Naruto watches her attentively while she bandages him, and she avoids meeting his stae, blushing and very aware of his eyes and that she has a lot of cleavage exposed at the moment. When she finshes bandaging him, she starts to turn away, but Naruto pulls her into a kiss instead. They have a sweet and tender moment and Temari breaks it by stating that she should take a bath because he's sweaty and bloody and unpleasant. Naruto tells her that she could have rolled around in mud and she still would've been lovely to him.

In Konoha a man approaches Matsuo Basho, stating that he's here for his translation. Matsuo says not to worry about it, he already has given it to the man's messengers. The man didn't send any messengers.

Choji and Jirobo are calling each other names, and in a roundabout way refusing to acknowledge that they are becoming friends. Kidomaru says that he will tell Ibiki everything if he will let him continue associating with the Aburames. Ibiki says that if that is acceptable to Shino's father than it's okay with him, but that nothing offical will be able to be brought up until Jiraiya comes back with the Godaime. Kidomaru asks about the Sandaime. Ibiki says that he can't tell Kidomaru anything regarding that.

The Sandaime is currently in a meeting with Team Seven, who is just leaving. Sasuke stays behind and asks Hiruzen about the demon prince. When asked why, Sasuke admits that he'd met the prince. He says that Naruto told him to ask a cat, but he doesn't know which cat or of that is an alias of some sort, in which case he still doesn't know who he's supposed to be looking for. Hiruzen finds this somewhat amusing, but says that he can't help Sasuke regarding this; Sasuke has to figure it out for himself, but he tells Sasuke that "cat" is indeed an alias, a codename really. He then dismisses Sasuke and Sasuke has no choice but to bow out and go.

Udon and Meogi have just ended their training for the day and have out to Ichiraku's to eat. Since they are not the only ones there, they talk in hushed voices and Moegi admits she's worried that there might be something dangerous in the scolls the old man gave them. Udon is more skeptical, but Moegi says that if getting the information on the tablet was worth making sure that no one knew it was even gone, it has to be either something very valuable or very dangerous. Udon admits that she has a point. She asks if he still has the scroll safe and Udon admits that he keeps it with him at all times, but has disguised it as a regular scroll and a regular scroll disguised as the unopenable one. Meogi says that's a good idea and they pay and leave. One of the other customers watches them as they go.

Gaara and Kankuro are on the road, dressed in traveling clothes. Having no idea of where to start searching for other Jinchuuriki, they decide that Iwa is as good a place as any as long as they can keep their identities hidden. They take off their hitae-ates and stow them away.

Naruto and Temari try to plan, but realize they cannot do much but wait for Sanji and Toru to make their next move. Naruto hypothosises what they next moves may be and decides to have the foxes prepare themselves for fighting. Temari asks why he doesn't just go out and eradicate the enemy, and Naruto replies that, while Sanji and Toru may deserve to die, there are foxes amongst the group that he grew up knowing and he doesn't want to punish them for simply thinking for themselves. He says that Kyubi might have gone in and massacred for the slight, but Naruto isn't that cold. If he can bring those foxes back to his side, he will do everything he can to do so. Temari finds this very admirable.

Gaara and Kankuro have found the 4-tailed Jinchuuriki, but are too late to even approach the man. They hide and watch in horror as the man fights Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame and is defeated. Gaara uses his Third Eye to spy on them and discovers that the two men are part of a group called Akatsuki. And they want something with the Jinchuuriki. The two boys flee before they can be noticed. Kankuro asks if Gaara wants to go to Fire Country and tell Naruto and Temari about what they witness. Gaara says he wants to gather more information first and says that they should go to Kumo next; if they're lucky the other Jinchuuriki might know something.

Udon is asleep at home. Someone sneaks into his room and tries to get at the hidden place Udon has the scroll hidden in, but the person is driven away by the traps Udon has set. The noise causes udon and everyone in the household to wake up, and the intruder flees empty-handed. Homura wants to know what was really in Udon's hiding place, because she doubts it was really a diary. Udon blushes and says he's not sure if he should tell her. Homura demands he tell her because this has obviously become a breech of national security. When he still refuses, she drags him to see the Sandaime. When they get to the Hokage tower, they see that Jiraiya and Konohamaru have returned. They have gotten Tsunade to come back with them, but not as Godaime; she still refuses the post and has only returned to teach medical jutsu. Danzo will be the Godaime. Hiruzen sends one of his anbu, Cat, to go inform Naruto of the change in power and to arrange a meeting between Naruto and Danzo. While Cat is leaving, Sasuke sees her and tries to follow her, but is left in the dust, much to his frustration.

Naruto and Temari are asleep. They are awoken by Nichi pouncing on their bed. She tells Naruto that Cat has come and he is instantly awake and dressing. Temari asks who Cat is and Naruto informs her that Cat is the primary liason between himself and Konoha. Temari says that she will prepare tea for the person. She enters the main cavern with tea in hand and is surprised to see that Cat is a female Anbu. Cat is alarmed at first, as she has taken her mask off, but Naruto calms her and introduces Temari as his mate and shows that he has all nine tails now. Cat is shocked but hides it well and tells Temari why she's there and the three continue their conversation. Naruto asks when Danzo will be officially instated as Hokage. Cat says a week. Naruto says he will meet with Danzo in nine days. Temari says she wants to meet the new Hokage with Naruto, but is turned down. Offended, she keeps pushing until Naruto raises his voice to her. Temari concedes, and Cat goes back to Konoha.

Jiraiya goes to a bar and comes across Tsunade. They drink and Jiraiya confesses that he's leaving the village again. Tsunade wants to know why he can leave while she has to stay. He tells her about Naruto and how meeting him made him feel worthless and that he needs to get away. Tsunade tells him he needs to grow a pair. Jiraiya laughs and asks if she would like to see personally just how big his nuts are. Tsunade punches Jiraiya in the face. Jiraiya leaves Konoha and goes north to find out what he can about the remains of Orochimaru's group. Konohamaru begs to go with, but is turned down.

Kankuro and Gaara have arrived in Kumo. They haven't had much luck finding a Jinchuuriki, and are taking a break at a small food place. A team of Chuunin enter, and Kankuro cannot resist the desire to flirt with one of the girls, as he finds the people with dark skin fascinating. The male on her team asks Kankuro why he would want to flirt with such a flat-chested girl when their other, busty teammate is there. Karui socks him and Kankuro says that Karuti's breasts are perfectly proportionate for her figure, not that he was looking or anything.

Yugito and Kirabi walk in, Kirabi rapping about the commotion. Yugito talks to Samui and it is revealed that the two are sisters. Kirabi asks what Kankuro and Gaara want with his adorable students. Gaara says, absolutely nothing, they are looking for someone. Yugito asks who; Kankuro tries to tell them that it's none of their business, but Gaara admits that he is looking for other Jinchuriki. Kirabi laughs and says that it's their lucky day, or maybe its just fate and dramatically introduces himself and Yugito. Kankuro and Gaara spend a couple days in Kumo talking with Kirabi and Yugito. The two have more information than Gaara and Kankuro have about Akatsuki, but it's still not much. However, it is enough for them to determine that they need to alert Naruto and Temari; it's time to head to Fire Country. Gaara asks about taming Shukaku. Kirabi tells Gaara to come back when his heart has opened more, because Gaara would definitely lose to the Shukaku as he is now.

Kankuro and Gaara head south. While stopping in Rice Country, they are overheard talking about the Akatsuki by Jiraiya. Jiraiya confronts them and is immediately recognized by Gaara. Jiraiya does his crazy introduction and Gaara asks Kankuro if Jiraiya is joking or something. Jiraiya asks what they want with the Demon Prince and is informed that their sister is Naruto's wife/mate. Jiraiya is shocked to hear this. Kankuro asks if Jiraiya knows aanything about the Aaktsuki and Jiraiya admits that he does, but whats to hear what Gaara and Kankuro know first. Kankuro tells him. Jiraiya tells the boys that he came to Rice Country seeking out Oto, only to find the place as good as deserted. A few human experiments were left behind to rot and Jiraiya saved them. They told him that Kabuto joined forces with some strange organization. After hearing the descriptions of the persons' clothing, Jiraiya concluded that the group must have been Akatsuki. He says that the group's goal is to collect all the jinchuuriki and extract their demons, but he doesn't know why or what they're planning to do with the demons. Kankuro and Gaara decide to hurry to Konoha as soon as possible, and that as soon as they do that they should go back to Kumo and tell Yugito and Kirabi about the situation as well.

Fast forward to Naruto's meeting with Danzo. Naruto demands tribute that Danzo refuses to give. At some point, Danzo reveals that he knows that Naruto is in a bad situation with the foxes. Danzo says that if anyone should be offering tribute, it should be the demon prince. Naruto corrects him, saying that he is a prince no longer; he is now the demon king. Danzo doesn't answer and stands and goes to look out the window. He goes into a monologue talking about how people in the village doubt his abilities because of his age and his history as something of a war-hawk. He asks if Naruto is really okay dealing with a person like him as Hokage, since he is so different from Hiruzen. Naruto says that doesn't matter and that it may even work to his advantage, because, controversial as Danzo is, the stronger the image Konoha has, the better for Naruto; because a strong village refects a strong territory; if Konoha is weak, then enemy villages may try to invade and Naruto doesn't want to deal with outsiders trampling around his forest. Danzo finds this increrdibly amusing and promises Naruto that he will lead Konoha into a golden age. Naruto says that he'll believe it when he sees it.

Sasuke sees Cat and finally catches up to her. He demands that she take him to the demon prince. Cat refuses because of his bad attitude and ignorance: he's the demon KING now, idiot boy. Sasuke sucks it up and asks nicely and Cat leads him to the Hokage tower, much to Sasuke's confusion.

Naruto and Danzo are interrupted by a knock on the door, and though Danzo is irritated, he lets Cat in, stating that it had better be important. Sasuke barges in and goes up to Naruto, demanding that favor he is owed. Naruto is very annoyed; asking why Sasuke felt that it was a good idea to interrupt his meeting with the Hokage. Sasuke ignores this and tells Naruto that he wants training in order to kill his brother. Naruto is even more irritated by this and tells Sasuke that he doesn't have time for such a thing and that he doesn't know the first thing about being a ninja anyhow. However, he would happily seek Itachi out and kill him for Sasuke when he has the time. Sasuke protests, saying that no one can kill Itachi but him, and said that Naruto said that he could go to him whenever he needed help. Naruto says that he isn't asking for help, he's asking for assistance, and Naruto offered that because he nearly killed Sasuke. Naruto tells him to leave and to seek him out when he has something worth asking for. Sasuke attempts to attack Naruto, but is easily tossed aside. Danzo is impressed with Naruto and has Sasuke forcibly removed from the room. Danzo tells Naruto that he has earned some of his respect, but he will not offer any sort of tribute to Naruto until he sorts out the issues within his clan. Naruto tells Danzo to keep ninja out of his forest until things are sorted. Danzo agrees to do that much.

Gaara and Kankuro arrive in Fire Country and have gone straight to Temari. Temari is overjoyed to see them and hugs them both, asking what they are doing there. Kankuro tells her that they have discovered some very important info that involves Naruto. Temari informs them that Naruto is in a meeting with the new Hokage and will be back before nightfall. She notes that they look exhausted and insists that they rest up while waiting. Kankuro wants to insist that the subject is too urget, but Gaara stops him, saying that they have indeed been pushing themselves too hard and Temari is right, they need to rest up before they collapse from exhaustion and stress. Temari says she'll warm up the venison stew for when they're done bathing. Kankuro asks if Temari loves Naruto. She admits that she believes she does. He asks if she's told Naruto yet, but she hasn't. Kankuro tells her that she should tell him.

Naruto returns at evening and is glad to see Kankuro and Gaara. Kankuro apologizes for coming carrying such grave news. They tell him about Akatsuki and what Jiraiya said about Otogakure. Naruto is suitably alarmed and Kankuro shows him Itachi and Kisame's profiles in the International Bingo Book. Naruto wonders where he's heard the name Uchiha before and Temari reminds him that it was the black haired kid that he mistook for Madara. Naruto is startled and realizes that Itachi must be the brother Sasuke was speaking of. However, he decides he needs more information before doing anything concerning Akatsuki. Gaara asks Naruto how he tamed Kyubi. Naruto says that he really didn't, Kyubi cooperated at least somewhat, but becoming the demon prince was more than that. He tells the story of how, when he was young and he and Kyubi decided to become one, his birth mother appeared in his psyche. Without her help, Naruto and Kyubi never would have been able to merge.

Gaara and Kankuro leave to go back to Kumo to meet Kirabi and Yugito.

Sanji and Toru make their move against Naruto. Though Sanji proves to be something of a challenge, he is ultimately crushed and killed, while Toru escapes by the skin of her teeth. Despite his injuries, Naruto manages to convince most of the rebelling kitsune to come back to his side and those that refuse him slink away, never to be seen again. Temari tells Naruto that she loves him. His sealed arm continues to be an issue, but he is learning to cope with it.

Toru retreats back to her master with her tail between her legs. She apologizes profusely but is severely punished. Her master is revealed to be Madara. After harming her, Madara comforts her and Toru begs him not to hate her. Madara manipulates her emotions and tells her not to worry because Konoha and the demon king will fall soon. He takes her to Kabuto and tells the medic to heal her up, as there is no need to make her suffer longer than necessary.

Gaara and Kankuro arrive back in Kumo and discover that Yugito has been captured and her demon extracted by Akatsuki. Samui is even colder than she was before and Omoi has started calling her Ice Queen. Gaara tells he wants to learn how to control Shukaku; even if he isn't ready yet, he wants to try. Kirabi consents and takes off to go talk to his brother, the Raikage.

Konohamaru and Hiruzen go to visit Naruto and Tsutsuma. Konohamaru is overjoyed to see that Naruto has all nine tails now and is even gladder to see that Tsutsuma made a full recovery from Orochimaru's poison. Temari is amazed and endeared to see that Konohamaru gets along with the foxes so well. Naruto tells Hiruzen that he wants to speak with Danzo again, as the kitsune rebellion is over, but he is concerned about the organization called Akatsuki. Hiruzen promises to talk to Danzo, but it would probably be better for Naruto's image if he just went ahead and stormed in. Naruto laughs at that and says he'll probably do that as Danzo isn't as easy to get along with as Hiruzen was. They are interrupted by Cat. Cat is leading Sasuke again. Sasuke asks his favor, but then is startled by the sight of Temari. He demands to know what she is doing there, and Naruto protectively steps between them, telling Sasuke that Temari is his wife. Naruto then tells Sasuke that he came at a good time, he's about to go talk to Danzo and he wants Sasuke to be there. Sasuke asks why and Naruto says that it involves his brother.

Gaara, Kankuro, Kirabi, and Team Kirabi arrive at the turtle island. Kankuro observes that the place is right up Gaara's alley, which earns him a glare. They go a shore and rest so that Kankuro and Gaara can get over their seasickness. Kankuro takes a shower in a waterfall and Karui stumbles across him, which leads to a very awkward but cute situation. Karui tells him that he looks very handsome without his face paint, but Kankuro tells her that he hates seeing his unpainted face because he looks like his father. Karui sympathizes, saying that people always say she looks like her mother, but she doesn't get along with said parent, and it's part of the reasons she became a ninja. Since neither are the type to hold back and court slowly, they jump right to making out.

The next morning Kirabi takes Gaara to the Waterfall of Truth and tells him what he must do first. Kirabi informs him that the experience is different for each person; Kirabi had to fight his hateful mirror image. Gaara says he understands and begins to meditate.

Naruto barges in on Danzo, who is in the middle of a stack of paperwork. Danzo is annoyed and tells Naruto off. Naruto lets the insult pass by like water off a duck's back. Naruto tosses Sanji's pelt onto Danzo's desk, stating that the foxes are no longer on the verge of civil war, and that if Danzo makes the pelt into clothing, it will protect him from elemental chakra and lesser jutsu, and that this is the only tribute he should ever expect to receive. Danzo is very surprised and gruffly thanks Naruto for the gift. Naruto says that they have to talk and that Sasuke is here because it involves Uchiha Itachi. Danzo folds the pelt and says he's listening.

Naruto brings up Akatsuki, and tells Danzo what he has been made aware of regarding it. He asks if Danzo knows anything about it. Danzo admits that he does and reveals that Orochimaru was supposedly once a member. He details Akatsuki's job as cheap, professional nin for hire and their significant role in wars. He asks what Naruto thinks they want with the Biju. Naruto admits he doesn't know but whatever it is can't be good. Perhaps world domination or something silly like that. Danzo agrees, but he thinks that's a farce for some other motive. Naruto states that he thinks Uchiha Madara has something do with it. Sasuke and Danzo are both thrown off by this and state that Madara was killed ages ago. Naruto corrects them, informing them that Madara was the one that caused Kyubi to attack 16 years ago and that, as far as his father knew, Madara is still alive. Sasuke is speechless but Danzo is grim and admits that he isn't as surprised as he probably ought to be. Danzo asks what Naruto plans to do about it. Naruto says that he isn't sure yet, but he needs to find Jiraiya. Danzo says he wants to pay off Naruto's debt to Sasuke. Naruto says he has no problem with that, but asks why. Danzo tells Sasuke that he can teach him the deepest secrets of the Sharingan; he can teach Sasuke things that he will never be able to gain from Naruto. Naruto is all for this, but admits he's still willing to help Sasuke if Sasuke refuses Danzo's offer. Sasuke doesn't turn Danzo down. Naruto leaves, but tells Sasuke that if Itachi comes after him, he won't hold back just so Sasuke can get his petty revenge. Sasuke grits his teeth, but nods in understanding.

Gaara enters the place inside his heart, prepared to fight himself or something else, but there is no one there and nothing around but himself. He searches for a while, but does not find anything and returns to the real world. He tells Kirabi that there was nothing there. Kirabi is very surprised at this, and eventually decides that it must mean that Gaara has already conquered the darkness in his heart.

They go inside the temple and Kirabi tries to trick Gaara into putting his head in the statute's mouth, but Gaara refuses, saying that even if he has accepted the darkness in his heart, he has no doubt that the statue would kill him, and that he can't afford to die right now. Kirabi sighs and admits that it was all a joke and takes Gaara into the special room to help Gaara conquer Shukaku.

Gaara enters his psyche and is dropped in the middle of a desert with a blood red moon and sun in the sky at the same time. In the distance is a gleaming limestone pyramid. Gaara goes inside and is quickly enveloped in darkness. He feels his way along by listening to the sand. Throughout the cooridors he can hear a woman's muffled sobbing. He turns one corner and the sob twists into a horrible shriek and a body rushes past him. Gaara comes to terms with the fact that he feels terrified. He finally reaches Shukaku's chamber, a room with a giant sarcophagus. Shukaku is inside the great stone box, but there is the woman, crying, sitting atop it. Gaara calls out to her and she turns to face him, revelaing a rotted face similar to his mother's. The corpse croons and coos at him, demanding to know why he abandoned her, why he stopped loving her when she loved him so much. Kirabi tells Gaara not to listen, and that it seems he must defeat this phantom before he can come face to face with Shukaku. Gaara destroys it by describing the mother Yashamaru and his siblings always described. The phantom turns to sand. Gaara pushes the lid off of the sarcophagus, revealing the gold-encased tanuki inside. He removes the gold shield and Shukaku explodes out. Gaara immediately latches onto Shukaku and they engage in tug-o-war. However, it is not a tug-o-war of chakras, it is one of minds. When it seems that Shukaku is going to get the better of Gaara, Kirabi steps in, reminding Gaara of all the good things he has gone through and the good things in life worth living for and fighting for. This gives Gaara the strength to overcome Shukaku and the demon is reduced to a simple (though enormous) tanuki that is all brawn and no brains. Gaara comes back to the real world and soon passes out, but this time, there is no insane Shukaku to take over and go on a rampage. Gaara sleeps peacefully for several days. Kankuro and Karui further their relationship.

Naruto apologizes to Temari for being so busy lately. Temari accepts his apology, but admits she mas missed him. Naruto propses spending a few days alone near the Land of Bears, because the star showers there are said to be amazing (as there are a number of countries surrounding the canon map that have been unidentified or unnamed, I figure that a number of those are pretty free game). Temari agrees and they spend two days spending quality time together, acting like a genuine couple.

Sasuke makes a trip to the hospital after a harsh day of training under Danzo. He is treated by Tenten, who is being overseen by Tsunade. Sasuke takes something of an interest in Tenten, saying he didn't imagine the girl with all the crazy weapons ever trying to heal people and save lives. Tenten explains that she's always idolized Tsunade and bites back at Sasuke stating that if she knows how to fix people than she'll know how to damage them even better than before. Sasuke is intrigued by this thought and admits that Tenten makes a good point. He puts his clothes and says that Tenten will probably be seeing more of him, as he has been training very intensely lately.

Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi are concerned about the strange scrolls they still have. They debate on whether or not they should tell the adults the truth or not. Meogi suggests going to see Sasuke about it since they came from his clan's tablet. They find him at the Uchiha compound and tell him about it. Sasuke tries to open it but quickly realizes that it can only be opened with the Mangekyo Sharingan. He wonders if his brother commissioned the scrolls, or if perhaps it was Uchiha Madara. Sasuke tells the younger ninja not to tell anybody about the scrolls, especially the Godaime. When they ask why he shakes his head and says he can't tell them.

Tayuya is slinking around Akatsuki's base. She overhears a conversation where Madara is explaining how he can't complete his Moon's Eye plan without the scrolls in Konoha that those brats somehow managed to get ahold of. Kabuto offers to get them himself but Madara says no one knows what to look for but him. Tayuya slips away before she can get caught. She thinks about how she hates working for Akatsuki. Despite wanting revenge on Konoha, she doesn't want to go about it this way; world domination seems petty to her. She has no respect for Akatsuki, who are after nothing but power and a twisted variation of peace. She observes that Orochimaru wanted no such thing, and though the methods he used were often morally corrupt, he was after knowledge, not power. She decides she doesn't want to be a part of Akatsuki any longer and that she will leave and first save her comrades from Konoha, Jirobo and Kidomaru.

Gaara wakes from his coma-like sleep. He eats and bathes and Kirabi tells him that they should spar so that they can test Gaara's control. They fight and Kirabi very much has the upperhand, but he says that Gaara did spectacularly. They leave the island and are attacked by Akatsuki on the way. Kirabi protects Gaara and is taken, but shows up again soon after revealing that the enemy is carting off a mere tail. Kirabi says it will take a while for the tail to grow back, but it was worth it for his life and freedom.

Naruto and Temari are "honeymooning" in a small village near Bear Country. Naruto tells Temari to go spoil herself, and gives her the gold for her to get whatever she wants, however, she insists on him coming along. He is awkward around the groups of people, but cannot help but like Temari modeling outfits for him. After making one purchase he whispers to her that the clothes are lovely, but he'd rather see her take them off. She blushes and shoves him playfully. Their expensive clothes lead the villagers to believe that the couple is the Lord and Lady of a far off land and the two are treated richly. They go out to eat, but Naruto embarssingly admits that he doesn't know how to use chopsticks. Temari says not to worry; she will teach him. They go eat and inside they stumble into Jiraiya, who is flirting with the waitresses. Naruto snags him before he can flee and demands Jiraiya show him how to fix his sealed arm. Jiraiya says he has no reason to do such a thing, but when Naruto tells him is theories on Akatsuki and how he intends on ridding the world of them, Jiraiya relents. Naruto and Temari are both horrified to see that Naruto has to swallow a toad, but he goes through with it anyhow. Temari states that she's not kissing him until he brushes his teeth twice. Jiraya warns Naruto not to unlock the seal right away or hastily, as one never knows when that sort of thing might come in handy. Jiraiya also tells Naruto that the Akatsuki base is located in Ame. Naruto thinks on that.

Sasuke contemplates asking Danzo about the tablet, but decides against this. His distraction puts him in the hospital again. Tenten treats him again. Sasuke asks if she's seeing anybody. Tenten admits that she is not, but wants to know why he'd ask her such a thing. Sasuke says that when he kills his brother he would like Tenten to go out with him. Tenten firmly tells Sasuke that she's not the kind of girl to wait for any man, and what sparked his ineterest in her anyway? Sasuke tells her that she is attractive, strong, and without any inherited abilities that would interfere with his passing on the Sharigan. Tenten kicks him out and hands him over to Sakura, telling the pinkette that she doesn't want to deal with the prick anymore. Sasuke is puzzled about her rejection and wonders what he did wrong; wouldn't most girls be all over dating him?

Tayuya sneaks into Konoha, looking abit worse for wear. She wonders what is up with the foxes and wild animals in the forest around Konoha. She tracks down Kidomaru at the Aburame compound and wakes him up and tries to convince him to run away with her. Much to her shock, Kidomaru refuses, saying that he is accepted and respected here. Tayuya shouts, wanting to know why could ally himself with the people who killed Orochimaru. Kidomaru admits he can never fully forgive them for killing Orochimaru, because Orochimaru was the first person to really care for him, but Kidomaru has a better life here, he has friends and despite having extra arms, he's not a total freak. Tauya is appalled and leaves and finds Jirobo. But even he turns her down, having found a better life for himself with the Akimichi clan. He's even met a girl. Tayuya tells Jirobo that he must have been brainwashed, but Jirobo says that, no, it was Orochimaru who was doing the brainwashing. Orochimaru always said that they would never find others who cared for them, but Orochimaru was wrong. Tayuya says Jirobo's just being like that because she insulted him so much and he was a big baby he couldn't take it. Jirobo tells her to get lost; he won't tell on her but if she gets caught he won't save her, either. He tells her to be wary of the forest unless she wants to get killed. Tayuya asks what 's talking about and Jirobo tells her about the legendary Demon Prince. Tayuya scoffs but Jirobo shrugs and tells her it's her life, if she wants to throw it away so casually she's free to do so. The word "free" hits a sore spot in Tayuya's heart and she leaves in turmoil.

Naruto and Temari go home and are surprised to see Gaara, Kankuro, and a new person waiting for them. The new person is Kirabi. Kirabi wants to test himself against Naruto so they have a mock-battle. It is a close fight, but ultimately Naruto wins because he is an actual demon. Gaara and Kankuro tell Temari that Gaara can sleep now. When she asks him how he likes it he says it's uncomfortable and dark and a waste of time, but he is getting used to it. Kirabi tells Naruto he wants in on the destruction of Akatsuki. Naruto welcomes him aboard and the five head toward Ame.

Madara attacks Konoha. Though he cannot do much damage by himself, he attacks both Konohamaru and Udon and steals the scrolls. Sasuke, who is in the hospital yet again, immediately runs to protect Tenten when things start going downhill. Madara declares his intentions from the top of the Hokage tower. Danzo comes out and attacks Madara and is nearly killed; however, the fox pelt saves his life. Danzo summons the Sarutobis and Udon's family and demands answers. Udon, Moegi, and Konohamaru tell the elders about the scrolls they found. Hiruzen and Danzo decide that their situation is dire and that they need to prepare themselves for war against Madara and Ame. Danzo asks how to contact Naruto. Hiruzen assures Danzo that he will take of it.

On the border of Fire Country, a messenger fox catches up to Naruto and the others. Naruto and Kirabi are able to understand the animal's words and Naruto is furious that someone dared attack his territory. He goes off toward Ame in a blind rage.

Madara opens his prize: the scrolls. However, they are not what they seem and his plans are totally shot. He's so upset he can hardly think straight and decides to go to Konoha and tear them to the ground right away. However, he sees that Naruto is coming for him and he retreats. Naruto fights Pein's six bodies and with the help of Gaara, Kirabi, Kankuro, and Temari, kills them all. He then kills Pein and, in turn, Konan. They then go after Madara.

Madara acts calm and collected, as if he has been waiting for them for a long time. He puts Gaara to sleep and is surprised to see that Shukaku doesn't take over. He then turns his eyes on Kirabi and controls him, forcing him to attack Naruto. Naruto manages to put Kirabi in his place, then realizes that he must fight Madara blind or be hypnotized into killing Temari and destroying Konoha and finally being put into the statue with the rest of the Biju. Naruto fights Madara, losing badly, and when Madara tries to teleport himself to the space between worlds, Naruto grabs a hold of him and is pulled into the realm. Temari is terrified that Naruto won't return. When Gaara and Kirabi wake up, she and Kankuro explain the situation. They wait as long as they can, but still neither Naruto nor even Madara come back. They have to leave. Kirabi grabs the scrolls to take back with them. In the streets Ame residents are saying that god's men have disbanded, god has been killed, etc, etc.

* * *

Sarutobi chuckled, looking over the scrolls that had contributed so largely to Uchiha Madara's demise. In his hands he held a grocery list and an essay on chakra uses for civilians. "I cannot say it comes as a huge surprise. Matsuo-san, despite his great love for books, was always forgetful and unorganized. I believe it's safe to say that the true secrets to the tablet are still in his library, safe and lost, as they should be, really.

"Matsuo Basho could easily be the oldest person in the Elemental Countries now. Very few people are left that witnessed the First War or the establishment of Konoha, Suna, Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri, and Matsuo-san was easily thirty years older than Senju Hashirama. He was grey-haired and half-senile even when I was a boy. I can hardly imagine him now, quirkier than he was then. I suppose his wife's death had a lot to do with it."

"He was married?"

"Oh yes, to a lovely woman named Murasaki Shibuki.

* * *

They return to Konoha and, with Sasuke, Konohamaru Corps, etc., explain to Danzo what has happened and hand him the scrolls that had been stolen. Hiruzen looks over them too and laughs and explains how silly Matsuo Basho is and what must have happened. When Temari explains how Naruto disappeared, Danzo tells her not to accept that he's dead until there is a body; there's no telling just what is in the world within the mangekyo and it's too early to accept that such a powerful person was defeated so easily.

They go back to the forest, and none of them are more shocked than Temari to see Naruto waiting for them. She leaps upon him, not sure whether she wants to kiss him or kill him. Naruto laughs at her and convinces them all to sit down so he can explain. Madara is dead, he says, and the world inside the mangekyo is none other than the demon realm. Naruto, being the new kyubi, was stuck there for ages and was unable to return to earth in territories that didn't belong to him, meaning that he could only return to his forest; Ame and Konoha and such were off limits. He apologizes for making everyone worry and think the worst.

Kirabi leaves back to Kumo for a while, but says that he'll no doubt meet the sibs again, as he intends to kill the men who killed Yugito. Kankuro sends a letter for Karui along with him.

Sasuke packs up to go and hunt down the wandering Itachi. He asks Tenten to wait for him and she refuses, telling him that she waits for no man, so he'd better hurry the fuck up and get back if he wants any sort of chance with her. Sasuke kisses her before running off, laughing while she fumes.

Tayuya contemplates joining Konoha with Jirobo and Kidomaru, but decides she just can't do it. She kills Kabuto, who is whining over Madara's death, and decides to take a soul-searching journey.

Kankuro and Gaara says goodbye to Naruto and Temari and head home for Suna. Gaara says that he's going to aspire to become Kazekage. Naruto thinks that is just awesome.

Naruto and Temari share a romantic moment, only to be interrupted by a joyous Nichi.

**The End**


End file.
